


The Girl with the Turquoise Heart: A Pokémon Fan-Fiction

by pygmadragon



Series: Pokemon Turquoise: Adventures in Valkeya [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Anxiety, Bad Decisions, Comedy, Coming of Age, Difficult Decisions, Drama, F/F, F/M, Female Protagonist, Growing Pains, Growing Up, Implied Sexual Content, Late Bloomer, Life crossroads, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, Newbie Pokemon Trainer, Older Pokemon Trainer, Original Character(s), Original setting, Other, Pokemon, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon References, Pokemon Training, Romance, Romantic Angst, Romantic Rivalry, Self Confidence Issues, Teen Romance, teen drama, uncertain future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pygmadragon/pseuds/pygmadragon
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Lauren Hart never went on her Pokémon journey, encouraged instead by her family to put her education first, and go to early middle school. Just as she starts to feel complacent with an average life, however, a faithful encounter at a bus stop changes everything, and Lauren finds herself drawn on towards a destiny she never knew she had.A coming-of-age tale about a late-blooming young Pokémon trainer, in which she seeks out new purpose after leaving behind a familiar world and struggles to cope against adversity, as well as the trials of young-adulthood, romance, and her own lack of self-confidence.
Series: Pokemon Turquoise: Adventures in Valkeya [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975372
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING/DISCLAIMER: This fan fiction is not set in any canon region, and likely won't feature any canon characters. the only things consistent with canon are general Pokémon concepts, like the Pokémon themselves, the concepts of trainers and battling, and journeying around the region as part of growing up. Mood and feel-wise, this fanfiction will be more like the manga than the video games and the anime and will deal with more realistic concepts, and drama befitting a slightly older protagonist.
> 
> This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be gentle. At this time, this is an ongoing project and will have many chapters and possible sequels, off-shoots, ect. I'm currently shooting to update twice a week, but I make no promises. Comments and critique are welcome! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I was just made aware of the fact that for some god-awful reason, I had originally posted Chapter 2...as chapter 1! T_T Good lord. Great start to my first work, huh? Anyway, it is now correct and I sincerely apologize x_x Ugh...I need a cappuccino...

A dreadful squawking interrupted what was an otherwise peaceful, quiet morning and Lauren lifted her hand to press the side button of her alarm clock. She was already awake and sitting up long before the contraption went off, but it had jarred her from her wistful daydreaming and torn her gentle, brown eyes from tracing the outline of the horizon outside her bedroom window.

She wasn't angry. In fact, the impassive look on her face hadn't even flinched when the sound wrenched her out of her fantasy world and back to reality, and she slowly drew away the blankets, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. Her feet found the soft wool of her slippers long before her eyes did, nestling into the cozy warmth they provided.

She then looked up and around the room. There wasn't much to a Harveslocke dorm, really. A place for a bed flanked on one side by a small, cramped kitchen. A thin dividing wall was all that separated these two rooms from her seating area, which contained only a lumpy old couch and a sleek modern desk. It was everything that was required for a student's studies, though even after three years here, the place lacked anything resembling a personal touch except for a small collection of stuffed toys. Memories from a childhood barely remembered.

Lauren lingered a little longer before running her fingers through her wispy brown locks, then finally stood to begin her day. It was hard to tell this day from any other, though she didn't need to look at the circled date on the calendar that hung in the on the refrigerator to know that it wasn't. In fact, she'd spent half the morning thinking about how come tomorrow, she'd probably never see this place again.

She went to the kitchen, her hip bumping slightly into the corner of the island counter, and switched off the coffee machine. A few moments later, she leaned back against the counter, dropping a cube of sugar in the black liquid and stirring. She stared blankly at the cabinets, taking in their familiar darker hues--the same mottled brown as the door which led from this isolated place and into the world beyond.

She knew what lay beyond the doors of the cabinet. There were six glasses, all of the same design, as well as three porcelain plates, and three blue bowls. There was a small brown cutting board with a knick on its bottom right corner, and there was a box with a toaster that she'd gotten from her aunt when she first moved here but never bothered to open. There were also two containers meant to store leftovers, though she only ever used one at a time, and there was also the mixer which, of all of her dinnerware, seemed to be the most heavily-used.

Lauren knew everything there was to know about what was inside of these doors. And yet...

Her eyes drifted away, settling on the door at the furthest end of the room. The one that led outside of this tiny, known part of the world. As many times as she had walked through that door, it seemed different today. Foreign. She'd never opened this door, and unlike the cabinet, she didn't know what she would find on the other side of it.

She brought the coffee to her lips, her eyes still locked on the strange portal, and she winced.

...

...

...too hot.

*** * * * * * ***

The trolley came to a slow, wailing halt, kicking up a small gust as the brakes released. It blew Lauren's hair back a little, but it was short enough that it simply resettled, hanging a little less than an inch above her shoulders. She'd almost not even noticed it, her nose buried in her phone as she scrolled through the morning news posts on her feed.

Her body was aware for her, however, and instinct drew her to her feet just as someone came stumbling out of the bus, followed closely by the sound of yelling. Before she even had a chance to look up, they'd ran straight into Lauren, sending them--and her--careening off the sidewalk.

Moments later, she opened her eyes and reached up to caress the throb in the back of her head. Only then did she become aware of the weight on her stomach, and she looked down to see a waterfall of deep red hair strewn across her. Lauren leaned up a little and reached down, brushing the hair away enough to see a head and then a face. A girl...about her own age, with a mass of brown freckles riding over the bridge of her nose.

Lauren nearly jumped when the girl stirred, though she wasn't quite sure why. Even as she opened her mouth to apologize, the other girl groaned, annoyed, and met her gaze with a crimson flush. She had...brown eyes, yet in the glow of the morning sun, they seemed to almost turn orange, as if reflecting a wildfire. The words caught in both their mouths for a moment, but only just, and soon, the red-headed girl threw herself back and off of Lauren.

"What the hell?!" she said in a low, raspy voice as she started to stand, "Watch where you're going!"

Lauren didn't say anything, a little dumbfounded at the reaction, but neither of them had any time to exchange further words.

"Hey, you!" called a voice up the hill the two girls had fallen from, and Lauren looked past the fiery young woman in front of her, seeing the bus driver warily trying to make his way down the hill, "Hey! Get back here! Pay up!!"

"Shit...!" the girl said, not wasting any time. She dove for her pack and then made a break for it, passing only another side-long glance at Lauren before disappearing into a crowd of pedestrians.

The bus driver eventually made it down just as Lauren had gotten to her feet, and was searching for her phone. "Sorry about that Miss..." he said, panting. He was rather spry for as big as he was. "Local hooligan, I didn't even see her sneak on. Are you ok? Do you see where that girl ran off to?"

Lauren nodded to the former question, and then looked towards the street. There was no sign of her now, but the bus driver insistently trodded on, presumably to find her. Lauren simply watched him go, his bald head disappearing into the crowd just as the girl had. She had all but forgotten about the pounding sensation in the back of her head as she stared almost vacantly towards the street.

Eventually, she broke her gaze and started to walk back towards the hill when she felt herself kick something small and hard. She looked down, seeing a small sphere, half-red and half-white. Lauren knew what it was instantly. It was impossible not to, and she reached down to scoop it up, looking it over.

Did that girl drop it?

She looked towards the crowd again, then back to the ball in her hand. Should she leave it here? As she turned it over in her hands, the red top became somewhat translucent, and Lauren could see a form tucked inside. Whatever it was, it was curled up and shivering, and it looked back at her with pleading tan eyes.

Lauren sighed through her nose.

Well...that's that...oh shoot! She was going to be late!


	2. Chapter 2

Lauren gave a loud sigh as she all but fell into one of the cafeteria's loungers, dropping her bag on the ground beside her. It seemed like it just wasn't enough anymore that someone manages to claw their way out of the rigors of high school finals, now there were entrance exams, placement tests, and all the mucky, labyrinthine mess of paperwork to go with them. It was a stifling existence, to say the least, and she couldn't help but think that sooner or later, something had to give.

Popping the top on the canned cappuccino she'd got out of the dispensary, her eyes rose, settling on a large banner on the wall advertising Nullenmuller Academy. That was the prep school her parents had been pushing for her to go to, and what had been the source of most of today's stressors. For someone with grades like hers, it was an exclusive opportunity, but that only made it all the more disquieting. She was already beginning to hate the red-and-white colors that emblazoned everything about that place, and she'd never even seen it in person.

She released a loud breath--louder, in fact, than she'd meant to--as she guzzled down the last of the beverage and pulled out her phone. In her rush, she'd not even stopped to check it for any messages since this she'd used at the bus stop this morning. As she did, however, a curious thing happened: she had a message. This wasn't too terribly uncommon. She did have friends, after all, and they did message her periodically. But this was different. This was a text...from her own number!

_**[- Hey shy girl! I want my phone back! >:( -]** _

She sat for a moment, bewildered at what she was seeing, and then turned her phone over, examining it. As far as she knew, it hadn't left her pocket, so why did...?

Her eyes lit a little, and she quickly swiped the screen, unlocking it. The wallpaper was different. The apps were misarranged, and some of these apps...she didn't even know what they were!

She gasped upon the realization. This wasn't her phone!

Her mind wandered back to the day's events. Since coming to school, she'd not had any need to take it out, so it must have been before that when she lost it. And the only time that she could think of where it wasn't in her hand was...

'Shit!' she thought. The bus stop! Her phone had been in her hand when she'd fallen, and Lauren clearly remembered having to go retrieve it from where it landed. It must have been then! But then, that would mean... That girl! This was her phone!

"Ugh...!" she groaned. This was just her luck. First the incident, then all the busy work she'd been involved in up to this point, and now she didn't even have her phone! What a nightmare...

Eventually, she lifted the phone from her thigh, navigating through the mess of apps until she found the messages icon. The log was chock-full of messages. Whoever she was, this girl seemed to have a lot of friends. Lauren's eyes stole a peek at some of the previews, if not only to sate some invasive sense of curiosity before she selected the most recent--the one that had been sent from her own phone.

It took a moment to figure out what she should say, as well as how she would say it. The other girl was clearly as upset as she was, if not more so, and Lauren had a feeling it was the result of an uneven temper. The less she offended the girl, the better. Thus, she punched in a reply that consisted of a short apology and an explanation of the fact she was in school but could meet her somewhere afterward. Hopefully, that would go over well enough.

She leaned back again, resting her fist against her temple. It was just one thing after another today, it seemed, and she had already begun to wonder what sweet hell was waiting for her when she got up out of this chair. Maybe she wouldn't. This spot seemed calm enough, after all. Maybe she would just sit here forever until she wasted away into dust. It would certainly be the least stressful option at this point...

Her eyes drifted inadvertently down to her pack and the unfamiliar gleam within. She reached down, pulling the little red-and-white sphere out to examine it. The little creature inside seemed to have calmed down by now, but the look it gave her was no less suspicious than it had been before. At least if she and that girl were able to meet up, she could return this creature to its rightful owner. She'd already felt bad enough leaving it to sit in her bag for four hours.

"Oh hey, is that a Pokéball?" came a voice from somewhere to her left. She looked up, seeing one of her now-former classmates, Toneki, approaching her. Toneki was an exchange student from Kanto; friendly and well-meaning, but he had a tendency to ramble on, and so Lauren had mostly avoided conversing with him too often. Kind of a lame excuse, really...

"Oh...hey," she said, the trauma from the day's events coming out in her tone and making her sound dreary and tired. "Yeah, it's...not really mine. I kinda...picked it up on accident."

"Still pretty neat to see one!" he said, scooting over a nearby chair, "What's in it?" He was a tall sort of guy with a light brown tint to his skin and a puff of black hair that sat on top of his head like a lumpy hat. It was a style that was in right now, for better or worse, and Lauren hardly noticed it anymore.

"I dunno," she shrugged, turning it over. Lauren didn't really. Her knowledge of Pokémon and anything related to them was scant, at best. She knew them only as far as what everyone knew about them--that they were kept as pets by some people, or used in various competitions. But as for telling one Pokemon apart from another...well, she'd have a better chance at finding the ball under the cup at one of those carnival games. "It's not mine, so I figured I shouldn't open it."

"Guess so," he said, "Mind if I take a look?"

She looked over at him, obviously somewhat suspicious, but he gave her a look of reassurance, so she tossed it to him. "Knock yourself out..." Of course, it only took a few seconds for her to realize that it probably wasn't best for her to be throwing around someone's property like that, but...well, nevermind.

"Where'd you find it?" Toneki asked, turning it over in his hands as she had. He, like Lauren and most of the kids who attended schools like these, had never gone on journeys with Pokémon like you'd read about, instead choosing their education over traveling aimlessly around the world. Those were, of course, her parent's words and not hers. The same words that had put her in all this mess in the first place.

"Ran into a girl near the bus stop where I live. Literally," she explained, picking up the phone, "This is her's too. I guess we must've swapped on accident, and she left that behind in her rush. I'm trying to get ahold of her so we can meet up and exchange."

Toneki, seeming to have seen all he wanted to see, handed the ball back gently, nodding. She was surprised at his demeanor. She'd never really heard him speak so little, though she guessed she ought not jinx herself. He did, however, speak a little more, "Well hopefully you two can meet up soon. It looks like whatever it is is really hungry."

That caused a pang of guilt to shoot through her and she leaned up, inspecting the creature in the ball again, "How can you tell that?" As far as she could tell, it just looked tired.

"Intuition," he shrugged, "My cousin was a trainer, and he used to bring his Pokemon over a lot when we were younger, so I kinda got a feel for them."

"If you say so," she replied, still trying to sound like she wasn't feeling quite so chastened. Fortunately for her, the sound of her--well, not her--phone's message alert interrupted Toneki before he could respond.

She sat up, opening the phone. The message, however, only made the pit in her stomach start to grow larger.

_**[- Damnit. I'm nowhere near there and I got somewhere I gotta be. Can you do later?-]** _

Yet again, Lauren groaned heavily. How could this situation possibly get any worse? Wait, maybe she shouldn't say that. Honestly, she shouldn't even be thinking about it!

"Bad news?" her sitting companion asked, seeming genuinely involved in the conversation.

"Hey...Toneki..." she asked after a long pause, "Do you...know what these things eat...?"

The young man smiled and shook his head, "No idea, but I think there's a Pokémon cafe a couple of blocks down the street! Maybe you could find out there?"

She nodded, her eyes returning to the little ball in her hand. Why did life have to be so complicated...? And why did it always have to be at the most inconvenient of times?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a 'slow burn', right? That's just how I write, to be honest. I like some lead-up to the good stuff, keeps people interested...or maybe not. Who knows! What I do know, however, is that I've already written this fanfiction out past Chapter 6, and I can promise you that things are going to get good very soon! Join me next time for the big reveal! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you _mean_ you _don't_ sell that here?"

The girl at the register was dressed up in a distinctly flattering and equally...revealing Pokémon costume, one that was bright yellow and conformed to every curve of her body. Lauren found it to be incredibly gaudy and far too ostentatious, especially with how the jagged tail seemed to find its way almost perfectly into the crease of her rump. She'd managed to fluster the poor thing to the point of stammering, and the girl tripped over her words as she went to answer, "I-I'm sorry Miss, but this isn't-"

As it turned out, this was a Pokémon- _themed_ cafe and not one that actually served food for Pokémon.

Lauren sighed in ultimate defeat. Today was just like trying to roll a rock up a hill in the middle of an earthquake. And she was going to _kill_ Toneki.

"B-but if you're looking for a place to feed your Pokémon..." the girl continued, determined to be helpful, "I-I think there's a store over on Garden Avenue!"

...that was _ten blocks_ from here!

"I'm...sorry. It's just been a long day and-" Lauren finally said running her fingerings along her forehead, then through her hair.

"N-no, it's ok! I'm sorry I couldn't help..." the girl smiled, her voice a little less shaky.

Lauren couldn't tell whether the girl was trying to play up her professional persona as a hostess or if she was just that nice, but it made her feel bad for losing her cool either way. This caused her to sigh and retrieve her wallet from her bag, "It's fine...just...one cappuccino. White chocolate, if you got it...To go, please." Why did she say 'to go'? Coffees didn't come on trays...

A few moments after stepping back out onto the sidewalk in front of the cafe, Lauren lifted her phone, checking the time. Still another four hours before she and that girl planned to meet at the Nakagari subway station, and it'd be almost pointless to go home now. Plus...

She withdrew the Pokéball from her bag again and held it to her face, giving the creature an apologetic look, "Sorry little guy...er...girl...? I'm not doing a very good job at this...Just a little longer, ok...?" She wasn't entirely sure why she was talking to it, since she was pretty sure Pokémon didn't understand human words, but she felt for some reason as though she'd conveyed her meaning well enough. The thing seemed to calm its restlessness a little, at the very least.

A sudden blaring sound caused her to jump, and she instinctively backed away from the street as a large fire truck squealed past her. As her eyes followed it, she saw people running across the road in its wake and into the alleyway on the other side; beyond, a plume of black smoke rose up into the air.

"Wonder what's going on...?" she said, seemingly still talking to the Pokémon, though now without realizing it. Her feet began to draw her forward even before she'd decided, and after long, she made her way through the alleyway, coming out into an empty lot.

The source of the smoke turned out to be a three-story apartment of some sort, and she could see that a large gathering of onlookers had converged on the far side of the way while the emergency crew flailed about in the street itself, desperately trying to fight the roar flames that emanated from within the building.

This would have normally been the point at which Lauren would have decided to leave so as not to be in the firefighters' way, and she was about to do just that when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Movement, and in a window directly across the lot. It looked like...a person...? Wait, a person!?

"H-hey! Uhh!" she stammered, her voice pitifully weak at first as she tried to get the firefighters' attention. She swallowed and cleared her throat, forcing the words out with greater volume, "Hey! There's someone in there! HEY!"

But it wasn't any good. They were all too busy attending to the main blaze, and their own shouting was drowning out her disparagingly quieter ones. Of all the times for her to lose her damn nerve...! Lauren's eyes darted back to the window. The person was still inside, trying desperately to dodge the worsening inferno as smoke continued to clog the room.

All of a sudden, a loud crash came from inside, and Lauren's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw the figure within fall disappear of sight.

She didn't even notice that she'd started moving until she was already at the side door, adrenaline fueling her as her hand went for the handle. There was an instant sting as her bare fingers met with the hot metal, but it was only momentary, and with a flick of her wrist, the door came open...!

Lauren only barely registered her feet leaving the ground. She was too busy watching as a sudden burst of orange and yellow came streaking out at her, launching her backward and sending a shockwave of pain across her forehead and arm where she'd raised the latter in a vain attempt to shield herself.

Even after landing in the nearby grass, though, there was only an initial cringe before she looked back up at the engulfed doorway. searching for any sign of the person inside.

Lauren was about to get up when a strange thumping sound next to her drew her attention. She looked over only to realize she was still clutching the Pokéball, which had now begun to twitch violently in her clutches. In fact, it began to thrash so hard that it sprung from her fingers and into the air, opening with a loud POP! and releasing a bright flash of light that overtook her vision.

When it finally faded, Lauren looked up, settling on the thing before her. It wasn't very tall, maybe only a couple of feet from head to tail with dull orange fur that reminded her somewhat of rust on metal. At first, all she could see was a plume of four tails, which curled back on themselves at the tips, but as the creature stretched out its appendages, she began to make out a long, slender body with brown furry cuffs around its feet, and lupine head topped with a tuft of curly orange fringe.

"Whoa..." she said almost without realizing it, prompting the Pokémon to look at her over its shoulder with its big, brownish eyes. She was about to move again when the creature chuffed at her as if warning her to stay put before it bolted off and raced off towards the inferno.

"H-hey, w-wait a minute!" she tried to say, but the Pokémon had already disappeared into the conflagration, seemingly unaffected by the roaring flames that it had dove headlong into.

Lauren, meanwhile, struggled to her feet, though was kept from moving too fast by the stinging sensations in her face and neck. Even coming too close to the door at this point was hazardous, and the burns she'd already received stung even more deeply as she tried to approach.

Inevitably, she was forced to back off. The searing heat was just too strong; there was nothing she could do...

As she stumbled back against a stack of crates in the corner of the empty lot, she looked up. This was completely her fault. Not only did she get burned-quite literally-for making a really stupid decision and trying to play the hero, she'd even managed to lose a Pokémon. And it wasn't even hers!

...well...she should probably go over and get checked out by the emergency crew before-

A sound came...a...bark? She looked up, trying to place it, and her eyes fell on a form as it emerged from the flame-cloaked doorway. It was...the Pokémon! And it was dragging something...

Lauren gasped as she realized it had dragged out the person she'd see collapse inside, and with the same reckless abandon as before, she rushed forward, this time gritting her teeth through the waves of pain as she bent down, helping pull the individual out.

It was a miracle how she-it was an older woman, looking to be in her late thirties-seemed to have escaped the blaze with little to no injury, but even before Lauren and the Pokémon had dragged her a good distance away from the building the smoke it was exuding, Lauren could tell that she wasn't breathing. And no wonder, she must've inhaled more than a few lung-fulls of that toxic smoke trying to find her way out!

Her mind instantly switched gears as Lauren fell to her knees beside the woman, mentally sifting through all the various techniques and research that she'd accumulated. She _was_ in school to become a nurse, after all, and first-aid 101 said that the first thing she'd needed to do once getting the victim to a safe location was...CPR!

Lauren bit her lip a little, her hands hovering over the woman as she looked her up and down. She'd only ever performed the technique on the practice dummy at school. This was...

"No..." she said, once again absent-mindedly speaking aloud, "No time for hesitating! Just gotta...!" She bent down folding her hands over one another and pressing down onto the woman's sternum. There was always the danger that she might crack a rib doing it like this, but living with a broken bone was better than dying, at least.

Compression...breath...compression...breath. Just like in class. She aced that test. She could _do_ this. Her thoughts raced faster than she could think about them; not there was time to do so even if she could have, and soon she could already feel her arms tiring while her own breathing grew labored.

Finally, on what seemed like the hundredth cycle, the woman coughed and gasped, grabbing Lauren's hand and squeezing tightly. So tightly, in fact, that Lauren winced a little and had to wrest herself free of the grip before _she_ ended up with something broken.

The woman's eyes cracked open and, after a few moments, settled on the image of Lauren leaning down over her, as well as the Pokemon beside them. She smiled, weakly, and her lips began to move as if trying to say something before consciousness left her. Lauren let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for eternity, using her hands to brace her form from topping forward and dripping sweat into the dirt below.

She only looked up when she heard footsteps, as well as a voice calling to her.

One of the emergency teams must've spotted them, and come up to them, "What's going on? Is everyone ok?" he said, bending down to look over the woman and, upon seeing that she was breathing normally, to Lauren.

Lauren sniffed a little. Her sinuses had started acting up, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah..." she managed out, then looked down at the Pokémon sitting beside her. It gruffed a little, shaking out its fur and then planting itself alongside so that it was part-way nestled up against her hip.

Lauren felt a strange feeling as the fox-like creature's warmth washed through her, and the sensation caused her body to cease its trembling almost immediately. What was this feeling?

Eventually, she took another long breath, calm returning to her as she stared down, words falling out of her lips even without her realizing it.

"...We're good."


	4. Chapter 4

Lauren pitched her eyebrow. Her chin rested in the crease of her elbows, folded in front of her as she leaned over the table. Across from her, the little orange Pokemon crouched down, staring back at her, its tails fluttering gently behind it. Neither moved, nor spoke, nor otherwise seemed to notice the activity going on in the diner around them, and just continued to sit in silence until finally, after several minutes, the creature blinked and then snorted grumpily.

Lauren smiled. That made two out of three, a fact which the fox didn't seem real pleased about. When she woke up this morning, the last thing she imagined she'd be doing that day was having a staring contest with an adorable little trickster. But here she was, in a diner, having a staring contest with a Pokemon. She'd long since forgotten all about all the paperwork she still had to do, the calls she had to make, and the packing she still needed to attend to by tonight. All that, as well as the stress of what they'd just been through, seemed to melt away. Now there was just....this.

Following their rescue of the woman, the medics had seen to Lauren's wounds. They'd offered to examine her at the hospital, but seeing as she wasn't too badly hurt, they allowed her to leave with just a large bandage on her cheek and a wrap over her arm. They were even kind enough to point the way to this diner, which as it turned out, served Pokémon.

"Guess our lucks turned," she said, still unsure why she felt the inclination to converse with the fox creature. There was an odd twinkle in its eyes when she spoke, though, and Lauren felt like on some level, she was getting through to it. She'd always read stories about how bonded trainers were able to command Pokémon to do miraculous things, but she'd never experienced it. Maybe...this?

She shook her head. It was a ridiculous notion. She'd known this Pokémon for all of about six hours, and for four of those, it had been stuffed inside its ball and buried in her purse. There's no way she could've bonded with the creature that quickly, and besides, she wasn't even a trainer. She just found it on accident and only kept it so she could return it to that girl. Oh...that's right...

She looked over at the clock on the wall. She'd need to start making her way to the subway station soon...

Lauren's gaze returned to the Pokémon, which had started to groom its paws, but stopped when it noticed her looking at it. It cocked its head a little as if sensing her sudden mood shift. 

"Hey lady, what happened to your Vulpix?" came a voice beside her. At this point, Lauren was almost desensitized against people randomly talking to her, and her eyes drifted over the form of a young boy, maybe eight or nine years old, who was eyeing up the Pokémon.

"What? Vulpix? You mean this...?" she asked, looking back at the fox creature, "Oh...um, sorry it's n--"

"Yeah!" he interrupted excitedly, "Vulpix, the fox Pokemon! It's a fire-type, and knows cool moves like Ember, Roar, and Quick Attack! They're kinda rare, though."

"Oh..." she said, her tone a bit dreary still. "Rare, huh...?"

"Yup!" the boy seemed all too happy to keep going, "She looks kinda beat up, though."

"She?" Lauren asked, finally sitting up and looking down at the boy, "How can you tell it's a girl?"

The boy smiled, holding up a red device that looked vaguely like a phone, but was bulkier and had numerous extra attachments. "My Pokédex told me! Here, look!"

"Pokedex...?" Lauren asked faintly but leaned over to see the screen of the strange device. There, displayed prominently, was the Pokémon with the word 'Vulpix' beneath it, along with a listing of its height, weight, and several other parameters that she didn't quite know what to make of. She did, however, recognize the symbol for 'female' beside its name. "Huh..."

"Anyway, what happened? She looks like she's been in a battle."

"Oh..." Lauren said as guilt flooded her tone, "Well...we kind of..." She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to tell someone that she let a Pokémon run off by itself into a burning building and make herself sound completely irresponsible--especially an impressionable little kid. In fact, she hesitated over the words so long that the boy just sort of went on.

"Well, whatever, but you should probably take it to the Pokémon Center on 4th Street."

"Pokémon...Center...?" These were all words that Lauren had only ever heard in passing but never had a need to know beyond that. Yet, for whatever reason, she now drank them in like they were the most fascinating thing she'd ever heard of, and she eagerly waited for the child to offer an explanation.

As it turned out, a Pokémon Center was a sort of medical clinic specifically for Pokémon where trainers would take them in to have their wounds treated. According to the kid, the Pokémon Center on 4th Street was the closest, which actually worked in her favor: it was on the way to the subway station, and she thought it would probably be a good idea that this Vulpix at least gets treated for its injuries before she returned it. 

She thanked the boy, who gave her a big, toothy grin before running off back to another table, and then went on her way. All this information had been a lot to take in, but for some reason she couldn't quite explain...it felt...kind of thrilling, honestly. Instead of trying to figure out how to return the Pokemon to its ball, she picked it up off the table and placed it down on the ground. It seemed only too happy to follow alongside her, keeping close to her leg as they made their way out of the diner and towards 4th Street.

* * * * * * *

Later, Lauren stood outside the Pokémon Center, looking up at the gigantic red dome. The place looked like it could be the size of two gymnasiums! A line of topiaries led up to the entrance, flanking an almost porcelain-white tile path; each was cut in the shape of a different Pokemon, and exquisitely so! Lauren, however, didn't recognize any of them, and just gawked, feeling kind of foolish as she crept past.

The door slid open automatically as she approached, and she was instantly hit with a variety of different smells, mostly animal. It caught her so much by surprise that she instinctively brought her hand to her mouth, though quickly dropped it again when she noticed that no one else inside seemed to notice it. Way to completely blow your cover, Lauren; you were supposed to come in looking like you belonged here!

After a few seconds of adjusting to the environment, she passed beyond the threshold and entered, looking around her. The building's interior was sleek and modern-looking, mostly white walls with some red and pinkish accents, and consisted largely of a large lobby and a second-story balcony where Lauren could see several doors, though she couldn't make out the nameplates on them from where she was. A long counter divided the room in half and separated her from what she assumed to be the care rooms. 

She approached, still feeling a bit uneasy about her new surroundings, and was instantly greeted by a young woman a little older than herself, dressed in what she assumed was some sort of nurse's garb. It looked a bit frilly for medical work, or at least Lauren thought.

"Hi, there! Welcome to the Pokemon Center!" the girl said ecstatically, motioning for Lauren to approach, "Are you here for medical services?"

"Uh, yeah I--" Lauren started shakily.

"Excellent! Come this way, please," the girl said as she took her place behind a computer. Lauren thought that a bit of an odd thing to say. What kind of a weird, morbid practice was this where people got excited about that sort of thing? Still, none of the other individuals present--all of whom had the look of actual trainers about them--seemed to bat an eye, so Lauren opted to just roll with it.

The little fox came forward, pawing at Lauren's leg. She looked down but soon figured out what the problem was, and reached down, scooping the surprisingly light creature up into her arms and then letting it back down on the counter. It seemed like the Pokémon had done this before, which made some measure of sense, and walked on its own to a little glass square that Lauren guessed was some sort of scanner.

"Alright then, let's see now..." the nurse said, turning the machine on and taking up a hand-held scanner, pointing the laser over its injuries--mostly just scuffs and scrapes it had managed to get when it went into the building. The computer dinged loudly, causing Lauren to cringe a little, and the nurse looked at the screen puzzled.

"Oh...that's strange...it says your Pokémon isn't registered in the database," the nurse said, looking over to Lauren, who instantly felt the heat of the spotlight on her.

"Not...registered? What do you mean...?" Lauren asked. She'd wanted to sound a lot more confident, but it turns out trying to bullshit your way through something you knew nothing about was a lot tougher than she gave it credit for.

"Well," the woman said, returning to the screen and clicking a few buttons on the mouse, "When a Pokémon is captured, it's usually registered to a trainer using an automatic system. That way if something happens and its ball ever gets lost or stolen, we can track it when it shows up again and return it to its rightful owner. Your Pokémon doesn't have a listing in the registry, though!"

"I see..." Lauren said, still a little confused. Wait...did that mean this Pokémon _didn't_ belong to that girl...? Maybe she was holding on to it for someone else? But then...wouldn't it be registered to that person. "Does this happen often?"

"Not really," the nurse said, still typing away, "Normally, the only time we would see it is when a Pokémon gets turned over from being abandoned by a bad trainer, or when a Pokémon was scheduled to be adopted or given to a trainer as their 'starter' companion."

Lauren really wasn't sure how to respond to that, and she looked at the little orange fox. Did that mean...it was abandoned?

"May I see your trainer license?" the nurse's voice cut into her mind, and Lauren jolted a little.

"Ah-- Well...actually I..." she stammered. There was again, the hot wave of the spotlight tearing through her confidence. At this rate, she'd start sweating. Might as well come clean...

Lauren tried her best to explain her situation, including how she'd bumped into the girl at the bus stop, found the ball, and then kept it after its owner didn't come back.

"Wow!" the nurse said, seeming quite entranced by the tale, "So you're trying to reunite it with its owner? That's so nice of you! I wish I could help, but unfortunately, since it's unregistered, I haven't the faintest idea who it must belong to. Maybe that girl you were talking about knows." Lauren simply nodded, so the nurse went on. "Well, at the very least, I can help you out by patching her up. I wouldn't want a Pokémon to suffer knowing I could've done something to help. Normally, since you aren't a trainer, this would cost fifty-two thousand yen..."

Lauren nearly coughed herself into breathlessness, but the nurse just laughed, "...but..." she then smiled, "Just this once, it'll be on the house. On the condition that you find a home for this cute little girl!"

She was about to shoot an irritated look at the nurse, but sighed, and changed it into a smile at the last moment of thought. Nurses had to have their fun too--something she knew all too well after working clinicals. "Thanks," she said after she could breathe normally again, "I really appreciate it."

The Pokémon turned to face Lauren as the nurse prepared a little cot for it to rest on and took its Pokéball. While the woman worked, Lauren thought she could detect a hint of worry in the creature's eyes. Like it expected her not to be there when it came back out. Lauren lifted her hand, placing it on the tuft of orange hair on its head, then moving down to caress its little face. This, along with a gentle smile, seemed enough to reassure it, and the creature laid down on the cot.

Even as the nurse took it towards the back room, however, Lauren and the little creature never lost eye-contact--not until the door closed, and the red light came on above.


	5. Chapter 5

The subway station was usually a lot livelier than this. Ever since the country's monarchy had instituted laws limiting the use of personal vehicles to load-related duties due to the damages they inflicted on the environment, public transportation like subway trams and buses had become a mainstay method of getting around, and Century City was no exception. She'd read somewhere that of the seventy-two thousand people who called this city home, over half of them utilized the subway system to get around. Trams arrived on the dot at almost every half an hour and left exactly fifteen minutes later, and with how long it took for people to load and unload off these things, being even a few minutes late could cost you a forty-five-minute wait.

Lauren had never been a big fan of the subway. She preferred the above-ground atmosphere of the bus where she could watch the world go by outside, or feel the breeze from the open windows. Places like this felt so...dark, stifling.

She sat on one of the waiting benches, the little orange fox draped halfway over her lap and her hand cradling its back. It hadn't even moved since they'd gotten here except to now and then shift a little to find a better spot or to investigate some itch or other annoyance that plagued it. Now she'd suspected it might have fallen asleep, if only for the few moments until the next tram arrived.

Lauren looked down at the creature, watching its ear twitch randomly as if trying to swat at an invisible fly. She still couldn't get over how much heat it gave off. After peeling her jacket off earlier, she'd expected the chilly air of the tunnel would have frozen her. But...it hadn't. Even the bench the two sat on was lukewarm to the touch. It was...actually kind of nice, and fact that she wasn't sitting alone for once was...

Eventually, she picked up her phone—or, well, that girl's phone—and opened it, for no other reason that to just reconfirm the time and place that the message said. She'd been careful not to use it for much else, feeling like it'd be rude to open up the apps or even just try to use the browser for something.

As she was about to open the message, however, a notification popped up on the screen, and her finger touched the 'open' button on accident. It was a message...no wait, two messages...No, the person was still typing!

Seeing that it wasn't from her own number, Lauren was about to quickly close it out when her eyes caught on some of the words as they flashed across the screen.

[- ...sponged the warrant... -]

...

[- ...new job for you... -]

She stopped, fingers hovering over the 'close' button. This...didn't seem like something she was supposed to see, and every cautionary impulse in her body was telling her to turn the phone off and pretend she didn't.

But now...now she couldn't look away, and she watched as the messages continued to filter in. In fact, she was so lost in reading them that she didn't even hear the tram pull into the station, nor realize someone was standing over her.

"Hey, shy girl," the familiar voice pierced her trance, causing her to look up and meet the eyes of the wiley-looking red-head, who stared back at her with a dour glare, "You reading my messages now? Not real polite..." She was tall-at least half a foot or taller than Lauren, and her blazing red hair looked ragged and mane-like, adding to her already intimidating form. By the rose emblem on her tight black t-shirt and the style of her holey blue jeans, Lauren figured her for a Marquesian, or maybe someone from Appleknot Town.

"U-uh, I..." Lauren said, swallowing hard and jumping to her feet. She clutched her purse strap tightly in one hand and then slowly held out the phone, "I-I'm sorry...I was just-"

"Just what?" the girl grimaced, snatching the phone from her and tossing Lauren her own, "Did your parents not raise you to mind your own business or something?"

"N-no, that's not-" Lauren tried to say, fumbling to catch her own phone, but was inevitably cut off.

"Whatever..." the girl interrupted, turning her own phone on and scrolling through, then closing it again, "Long as you keep quiet about whatever you saw, we're square. Well..." she looked down at the fox, who had come to stand behind Lauren's legs, growling. "...almost square."

The girl held out her hand expectantly, her deep azure eyes coming to meet Lauren's own amber gaze. She said nothing at first, assuming Lauren knew exactly what she was talking about, but when she didn't immediately comply, the girl grew impatient.

"Hand it over," she demanded, motioning with her hand.

Lauren swallowed again, her hand reaching down into her purse to produce the little red-and-white orb. As she did, however, her mind was racing, trying to fit together pieces and fragments of all the information she'd garnered from that day. The girl had dropped it, that was for sure, but...it wasn't registered to her. Did that mean that...?

"Where did you get it?" Lauren posed the question without wholly thinking it through, and she could feel her throat drying a little.

"What do you care? It's mine, now give it back!" the girl said, growing ever more impatient.

"No it isn't," Lauren said, taking a step back, "It's not registered to anyone. The woman at the Pokemon Center told me so."

"What the hells the difference, it damn well isn't yours, now give it here before I-"

This time it was Lauren's turn to do the interrupting, "Tell me where you got it."

"Oh, I see what this is..." the girl started as she looked between Lauren and Vulpix, "You gone and gotten attached to it, haven't you? Look, you little weasel, I'm on a deadline here and I ain't got time for your bullsh-!"

She'd already begun approaching Lauren when the fox Pokemon jumped out in between them and released a fan-shaped gout of fire that sprayed into the air in front of the fiery girl.

"Y-you miserable little-" the girl gasped, backing off and raising her arms as if to shield her face. She huffed a little, then looked back up to Lauren, grimacing, "If you don't give it back to me right now, there's gonna be trouble. Trust me, chick, you don't wanna mess with me."

Lauren's eyes were still on the form of the fox, which had assumed a defensive posture in front of her. Was it...protecting her? It did the same thing when she'd tried to run into the building earlier today! And now...

"Alright fine, I've had enough of this," the girl said angrily. Lauren looked up to see her draw not one, but two spheres just like the one she had from her bookbag, "You wanna play games? Well then let's play!"

Before Lauren could do anything else, the girl tossed the balls forward, and just like back in the empty lot, both of them popped open, emitting bright flashes of light. When it subsided, two more creatures stood alongside her, including a small, squat frog-like thing with a bright green flower bulb on its back, as well as a small, tan dog with a fluffy tail and a collar of fur bespeckled with black, crystalline pebbles.

Both Pokemon growled viciously, prompting a hiss from the orange fox at her feet.

"W-wait, I-" Lauren stammered, but the girl didn't seem interested in listening.

"You're going to give back that Pokémon, one way or another! Take them down!" she yelled, pointing her finger at the fox. At her command, the little green frog lept forward, unleashing a pair of long, leafy vines that had been coiled around the base of its bulb, lashing like whips at the duo.

Lauren stepped back again. This was a fine mess she'd gotten herself into. She didn't know the first thing about Pokémon, only that they were incredibly dangerous. What did know, however, was that she wasn't about to let this girl get her hands on this one. But the question remained...what should she do? Should she run? The nurse at the Pokémon Center had taught her how to recall a Pokémon to its ball. Maybe if she was quick...

She immediately put the thought out of her mind. Lauren might have been the fastest running on her school's track team, but even she knew that she couldn't escape these things in time. Pokémon were extraordinary creatures, capable of speeds far surpassing that of people, and this one even had appendages that could reach even further. She wouldn't even make it to the stairs.

Unfortunately for her, the frog wasn't about to let her think too long and immediately rushed forward, lunging at her with its tendrils. They might've reached her, too, had it not been for the intervention of the Vulpix, who launched herself into the air and locked the vines in its jaws. As it landed, the creature jerked violently; so hard, in fact, that it lifted the little green monstrosity off the ground and slamming it with a terrifying crash into a nearby pillar.

Lauren's mouth gaped open. This thing was that strong?!

The frog-like Pokémon got up, shaking off what Lauren suspected was a concussion, and reassumed its attack posture. This time, however, it went straight for the fox, lashing repeatedly to try and put it down. The Vulpix, however, was the faster of the two and like a dancer, it swept from side to side, easily dodging the oncoming strikes before opening its mouth.

The temperature in the room suddenly spiked as a bright gleam shot forth from its throat, encasing the frog-like creature and nearly blowing it all the way back to the girl's feet. When the flames died down, the green plant-frog was covered in burn scars and was beginning to have trouble standing.

This was it! That thing was far enough away that they could escape! She fidgeted with the ball while starting to turn around, but froze in her track as a savage growl emanated behind her. She turned her head, seeing the other Pokémon, the brown dog, standing between her and the station exit.

"Where do you think you're going, there, shy girl?" the girl called to her, simply content with letting her underlings handle her business for her. With a snap of her fingers, the dog began to approach, snarling with its eyes locked on Lauren.

A strange impulse in her head told her to move out of the way, which she did just as another cone of fire jetted past her, this time covering the dog with its searing heat. This time, however, the flames dispersed to reveal the dog standing resolutely, with very little in the way scuffs or charring in its fur.

"What kind of idiot doesn't know that a fire attack isn't useful against a rock Pokémon?" came the girl's voice again. A rock? It was a dog! What rock?! She looked over at her adversary questioningly, "Geeze, you don't know anything, do you? You'd need a Fighting or Steel-type Pokémon to pierce that armor."

None of this made any amount of sense to Lauren. What on earth was this girl babbling about? She understood well enough that the firey attack that the fox struck the dog with didn't hurt it, but what was all this about 'type'? And what the hell did she mean by 'Fighting'? It seemed pretty clear to Lauren that they were all fighting. Was there some sort of trick? Some kind of weird system of advantages like in roshambo?

By now, the little green frog, too, had recovered, coming up to flank Lauren and her fox companion with the apparently 'rock' dog. The fox, however, didn't seem to be terribly dissuaded.

"If you really want to know that bad..." the girl said coming up to lean against a nearby column, "I snagged them from the police station the last time I was in there. They have this room where they keep stuff that's been turned over from bad trainers, or places where they hold Pokémon that've been abandoned." She pushed off the pillar, sauntering over, "So...yeah. I stole 'em. They work for me now, and soon as I get that Vulpix back, she's going to wish she wasn't so brazen as to side with some random girl who doesn't even know how to use her!"

"Back off!" Lauren snapped, turning to face the girl who had come to a stop a few feet away, "You're not going to lay a finger on this Pokémon. She and I are leaving!" The adrenaline was driving her now, just like it had when she rushed headlong towards that burning building. Despite that, however, she felt a sense of calm. Her mind was steeled, her thoughts were focused. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before, and yet for whatever reason, it felt so natural to her.

The girl's smirk faded, replaced with vexation, "Fine..." she said with a growl, "I was going to let you off if you'd just surrendered, but now...now I'm going to take my time."

She didn't even need to give a command. The brown down barreled forward, lunging towards the Vulpix with frightening speed and clamping down hard on the fox's neck. Lauren cringed as she thought she heard the sickening crunch of bones cracking. She was about to lay into the dog with her foot when something long and thing wrapped itself around her arm and mid-section, pinning her against another pillar nearby. She looked over to see the green frog snarling at her, its vines tightening with every movement she tried to make.

And struggle she did despite the pain, but it was not for her own that she did so. Her eyes were locked on the image of the little orange fox, which found itself flung to the ground by the powerful jaws of the beastly canine. It didn't even have time to get back to its feet before the dog slammed into its side, sending it careening even further towards the edge of the tram-way.

Lauren's heart felt like it was going to explode. She couldn't take seeing that little creature, who just an hour ago had she been playing with and enjoying her time around, treated like a rag doll. She had to do something...she had to think...!

'You'd need a Fighting or Steel-type Pokémon to pierce that armor.' the girl's words echoed in her mind suddenly. Steel? Metal? Metal! That's right! There was another ability on the list that that kid in the cafe had shown her. It was...it was...!

"Iron...Tail!"

She'd hadn't even gotten out all of the words when the Vulpix rose, and with one fell movement, wheeled around, its four curled tails glowing with a bright gleam as they collided with the dog. The connection was followed by a tremendous metallic twang, and the dog was sent flying, eventually crashing so hard into the wall opposite the tram tracks that it left a cracked dent where it had impacted.

Lauren felt the vines loosen from around her as the frog-creature sprang into action, enwrapping the Vulpix in its chlorophyllic clutches. The girl, too, had started to move forward and the dog, who had somehow managed to its feet, also stumbled back towards the fray.

But, Lauren could already feel the heat surging around her, drawn towards the fiery creature. The intensity became so great that it manifested as swirling jets of fire, dancing around the vulpine form. Something in those wrathful, protective eyes told her something big was about to go down, and that she should clear out immediately, which she turned to do, but stopped, realizing that the girl was unknowingly walking straight into danger.

Without thinking, Lauren turned on her heel and ran with all the energy she could muster, barreling into her adversary. The red-headed miscreant tried to exclaim, but it was lost as their two bodies collided and a grand eruption of flames lit through the air, surging overhead as they crashed to the ground.

Lauren thought for sure that she would be consumed by the inferno and could feel the searing heat creep up the back of her leg. But then, as suddenly as it had happened, the heat receded, and the fire dissipated.

She looked up as something nudged her cheek to find the Vulpix crouched down beside her, a worried look in its eyes. Lauren rose, then, and looked back. The whole area was charred to a crisp and nearby lay both the little green frog and the brown dog, both unconscious, but she could clearly see breathing. Fortunately, anyone else who had been in the subway had long since cleared the area, and she didn't see anything majorly damaged.

A coughing sound brought her back around, and Lauren looked down to see the girl beneath her begin to stir. "You...stupid...little..." WHAM!

Lauren drew back, biting hard into her bottom lip and violently shaking off the stinging pain in her knuckles. That fucking hurt! Lauren had never hit anyone in her life, let alone someone likely twice as strong as she was, and truth be told, she wasn't all that sure why that, of all things, was her gut reaction. Still, it'd done the trick. The girl was out cold, and Lauren rolled off of her, panting heavily.

She reached over, caressing the fox creature's head and turning it a little to look at the wound on its neck. It definitely wasn't something to be ignored, still bleeding heavily where the dog's teeth had latched in. Best get it back to that clinic before the place closed or something. She sat up petting the creature's back, "Good job...you saved my butt."

The fox yipped in acknowledgment and then picked up something on the ground, handing it to her. It was a wallet, and it definitely wasn't Laurens, but she opened it nonetheless.

It didn't have much in it, just a few slashed up credit cards and a bent driver's license, the face of which belonged to the girl beside her. Lauren read the details on it, then looked over to the unconscious figure, "...Eisethe Crowe, huh...? Weird name...but I guess that'll make it easier to remember..."

She stood, tossing the wallet onto the girl's stomach. The Vulpix barked loudly and Lauren nodded, her eyes drawn to the stairwell, "Yeah...I'm with you...let's get the hell out of here.


	6. Chapter 6

"And you're sure it's free...?" Lauren asked over her shoulder, looking down at the little plastic card in her hand. It was emblazoned with her name, image, and other statistical information she wasn't quite sure what to make of and she sighed through her nose, tucking it away into her purse pocket.

Three days had passed since that night she'd all but stumbled back into the Pokemon Center. Following the battle, the Vulpix succumbed to its wounds and went unconscious, prompting Lauren to rush it there in record time. According to the nurse, the Pokémon's injuries were rather serious, and the woman had all but forced the truth of what happened out of her. When she told her about how the other girl said she'd stolen them and then attacked, however, the nurse's accusatory mood seemed to dissipate. Even still, it didn't really make Lauren feel any better about what happened, especially the injuries that the Pokémon has sustained under her watch.

"Of course, it's all been taken care of by your sponsor," came the nurse's voice as she walked around the counter, clutching the Vupix in her arms. "Here we are. All better." The nurse's name, Lauren had come to find out, was Ivy, which seemed a coy play on the way she dyed her hair that gaudy shade of olive green. She was about five years older than Lauren and had been working at the Center for a little while, so she knew quite a bit about Pokémon--a fact that Lauren herself was quite thankful for.

Lauren looked up to her, but her eyes immediately fell to the Pokémon, and she took the orange rascal into her own grasp. The creature's tails all wiggled in delight as she did so, and it licked her nose playfully. Lauren smiled, touching her nose to its, and then lowered the creature to the ground.

"Sponsor...?" she asked after her mind picked the words out from what she'd said, "What's that?"

"If you want to keep a Pokémon, you have to be sponsored until you can prove that you can properly take care of them. That's originally what the Pokémon Training Program was for, you know. It wasn't just for the sole purpose of battling and competitions--it's the right to capture, tame, and eventually keep them either as pets or for other needs."

"Training?" Lauren continued, watching as the Vulpix walked in a figure-eight through her legs and then came to sit down beside her, "So...I'm, what? A Pokémon trainer now? Does that mean I have to go traveling and defeat gyms or whatever?"

The nurse chuckled, "Not at all. As I said, it's not just for people who want to battle. Though it does give you the right to do all those things I mentioned before, your sponsor is the one who decides what they believe you need to do to prove you're ready to keep a Pokémon."

"...huh," was all Lauren could say. Over the past few days, she'd absorbed as much information on Pokémon as she could find--well, in between moving from her dorm to her new apartment and all the useless garbage that went with that. She'd even went so far as to clear time she should've been spending on arrangements to go to prep school, all for this fluffy little bundle at her feet.

It had crossed her mind that she really _should_ return this Pokémon to the local police from where it'd been stolen from, but the thought had only been in her mind for a few seconds before she discarded it. She couldn't bear the idea of it being stuffed into a dark closet or seeing it carried away with that look of worry on its face. _Her_ face. It was taking some time for Lauren to start calling the creature by its proper pronoun.

Of course, Ivy was largely the one to blame for all of this. She'd been the one to suggest that Lauren might consider keeping the creature, which Lauren herself had resisted at first. The idea of owning her own Pokémon was...an entirely foreign concept to her, and she pitifully tried to explain to the nurse that she really had no idea how to care for such a creature or even the time considering she was supposed to be preparing for school in four months. And then what? Was she supposed to bring it with her onto campus? Well...actually, that _was_ allowed in the case of small Pokémon like this one, provided that it stayed in its ball during classes and the like. It would've been odd, however, considering she would be one of maybe a handful people there who had one.

But Ivy was exasperatingly persistent, and in the end, she won Lauren over by offering to help teach her the basics of Pokémon care, as well as sign up for a license. 

It had been a surprise to them both, however, to learn that someone had already sent in a request for a Trainer license on Lauren's behalf and that it had been processed and approved the next day. Apparently, someone had known she'd be needing such a thing, which didn't exactly sit too well in her mind.

"So this sponsor..." Lauren began, hoping that the nurse would pick up the conversation.

Ivy complied, picking up her ePad and scrolling through a few of the options, "Yes, it was...oh, just a moment.........here," she said, offering a look to Lauren.

Lauren's eyes widened, for there, staring back at her on the screen was none other than the older woman that she and the Vulpix had pulled out of the burning building! 

"Lillian...Clover?" she said as she read the name, though her words were quickly echoed by the nurse.

" _Professor_ Lillian Clover, actually. Or just Professor Lily, as she likes to be called. She's kind of a big deal in the world of Pokémon research. She lives right here in Century and has a lab over in the Bookend District," Ivy explained, pulling up a profile, then handing over the ePad for Lauren to read herself.

According to the article, Professor Lily was considered the preeminent expert on Pokémon-human relationships in Valkeya's scientific scene, and in her lifetime had won several awards for her work in helping people to understand Pokémon and how they bonded to certain individuals.

"So she's like...a Pokémon psychologist or something?" Lauren asked, to which the nurse shook her head.

"Not exactly. Though the focus of her research _is_ on the relationships that people have with Pokémon, she studies all kinds of subjects about Pokémon in general. I'm sure she'll explain it to you when you go and see her."

"What?" Lauren said, arching her brow and quickly looking up at Ivy, "I have to go meet with her? You didn't sa--"

"I didn't know until today," the nurse explained in an innocent, calming tone, "But basically, the conditions of your sponsorship are to make arrangements for an internship with Professor Lily. It says 'candidate for fieldwork' in the memorandum."

Suddenly, this whole thing started to seem like a bad idea and Lauren frowned, looking down at the Pokémon below her, "Geeze...as if I don't already have enough shit to deal with..." She sighed, then continued, "So...what do I have to do?"

"Not sure on that one," Ivy shrugged, "That's all the details it gives me. It just says you're supposed to report to her 'as soon as is convenient' at her lab. I personally wouldn't keep her waiting, though. If your sponsor decides to revoke your license because you didn't show up for an assignment, you won't be able to reapply for one for a whole year."

"Great..." Lauren said, sighing loudly and rubbing her temples. "Bookend District, right?"

"Yep! I'll text you the address, but it's pretty easy to find. You just have to look for the big white building with the green Pokéball symbol above the door."

"...if you say so," Lauren said, leaning lazily on the counter and petting the Vulpix with the side of her foot. Truth be told, despite this news, she was still feeling remarkably less stressed than she had been before all this had happened, and it didn't take genius-level intellect to figure out that this little girl had been the reason why. 

She bent down, scooping the creature up in her arms again, prompting it to yip happily and nestle against her chest.

"So, did you come up with a name for her?" Ivy asked, watching as the Pokémon pressed its muzzle into her hand until she ran her fingers along the bridge of its nose. It really was quite the cuddly little thing and seemed to demand a lot of attention.

"A name...?" Lauren queried, "Isn't her name Vulpix?"

The nurse shook her head, "Some trainers just call Pokémon by their species because it's easier, but most people who keep them as pets pick out actual names for them. I mean, it'd be silly to just call you 'Human' instead of 'Lauren', wouldn't it?"

"Got me there..." Lauren shrugged, looking down at her fluffy companion and moving her hand to scratch the back of her neck. "No idea, really. I'll probably come up with one eventually."

"Well, no hurry," Ivy said, smiling, "But you _should_ think about hurrying to meet your sponsor. The sooner you get it over with, the better!"

"Don't be so pushy..." Lauren said with a slight rasp, "I'll get there when I get there. I've got a lot on my plate, you know. I don't get to laze around the office chatting with random people to pass the time. Don't you have something else you should be doing instead of pestering me?"

In the short amount of time she'd spent in the nurse's company over the past few days, Lauren and Ivy had become relatively good friends, mostly because of everything that'd happened, but also because of their shared interest in the medical field. Pharmaceuticals wasn't a terribly popular topic of study in non-Pokemon-related educations, so Lauren had few people she could really share that passion with. So this was...unexpectedly nice.

"Well, Vee here is all patched up and ready for your next adventure, but any time you need it, you're always welcome to come back! I hope I get to see you two often!"

"You know, you really should come up with a better tag line," Lauren said coyly, "You make it sound like you hope she gets hurt again."

The two laughed and Lauren pushed off the counter, bidding her new friend a fond farewell, as well as thanks for all that she'd done. The truth was, Lauren couldn't fathom where she'd be without Ivy's help, or even worse, where her new furry companion would've ended up.

A little while later, she climbed on the bus, followed closely by the fluffy feet of the Vulpix, whom everyone riding the bus instantly wanted to pet and dote on. Lauren smiled as she watched her play with a little girl probably no older than six or seven. This was a creature that a few days ago, she'd witness throw another animal almost twice its body weight ten feet through the air and char a six-foot area with searing embers. Yet here it was, playing so daintily with this little girl, you'd think she was handling a porcelain tea set.

Lauren's phone buzzed in her pocket. She expected it would be Ivy with the address, so she took it out and was not disappointed, though her eyes instantly went wide.

**_[- Hey, hey! The Professor's lab is located at 2231 Trent Street. I told her to expect you this afternoon! She's really excited to meet you! Cheers! ^_^ -]_ **

......damnit...


	7. Chapter 7

Lauren shut the door behind her, dropping her keys in a little wooden bowl beside the door. It still felt a little strange walking into this new environment, even if it was just a temporary apartment until she moved into the dorm at Neunmuller later that year. Maybe it was because it was a far cry larger than her place at Harveslock; the bedroom, kitchen, and living room were all separate, and the bathroom had enough room to actually move around in. It even had a full-sized tub!

Vulpix, at least, seemed only too happy to make herself at home. She'd taken quite well to the place, especially the fireplace which, while fake, was still equipped with a small heater and a screen that showed an image reminiscent of flames. One of the first things Lauren had done was to create a small bedding area at the foot of the heater, and it was here that the creature often went first every time they'd come home.

Home...

Lauren watched the creature as the little fox climbed on top of the nest of blankets and pillows, turning about as she tried to decide where to lay - 'making her bed', as Lauren had started to refer to it. She couldn't help but smile as she settled, instantly yawning. The medicine made the poor thing sleepy, or so she suspected.

Hanging up her coat on the rack, Lauren made her way inside towards the kitchen. She'd brought her island with her during the move, which looked a bit out of place now that it-which was a mellow green-was in the middle of a dark mahogany room, but Lauren didn't really care. It was useful, and that's all that really mattered to her, especially for being a place to put her purse.

A few minutes later, she all but collapsed into the fluffy suede couch. This had been part of the apartment's current furnishments, which suited her just fine. No need to torture her own furniture when someone else was providing, after all.

Lauren breathed out heavily, leaning into the corner of the big pillow behind her. The original intention when she'd went and sat down was to log into her laptop so she could attend to some of the paperwork that was left to do for the following fall, but who could think about doing that when there was this nice, comfy seat?

She yawned, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and drawing it over her, and taking out her phone. Messages awaited her as she flicked on the screen, though most of them were from her mother wanting to know how she was getting along in her new apartment.

Her eyes fell over her surroundings. She knew the right answer to tell her, but the real one was so much more complex that it caused her to hesitate. This place... There was something about it that just felt...right. It felt like her, more than her old dorm had and even more than her room back home.

She wondered idly at why this seemed to be. Certainly, she would not have picked out the colors of the furniture that this place had. Her tastes were a far cry more modern and minimalist. She preferred flaunting space, not utilizing it, which this place did with all manner of odd little knick-knacks, end tables, and a dining table which she hadn't even so much as tried to use. So why? What was it that made this place feel so comfortable? Why did she feel safer here than anywhere she'd ever been?

She felt something touch her feet and looked down, seeing the little fox climbing up onto the couch with her, choosing-for the first time-to nestle down in between her legs over the cozy fire-side bed she'd made for her.

Lauren blinked a little, leaning her head against the pillow to observe the creature and she laid down, her front paws draped over Lauren's leg and her head resting on her thigh. Lauren watched her tails flicking now and then-a perpetual twitch, not all that unlike her own habit of chewing on her hair. She mused as its chest rose and fell, seeming as if to try and match patterns with her's, but its smaller size made it unable to.

In all of her years, she'd never imagined how much solace it brought her having something just...be there, and she recalled that last night she'd spent in that cramped little dorm. The idea that this place could exist without the little Vulpix's warmth was just so...foreign.

Lauren reached down, resting her hand on the back of the creature's neck. She felt her tense a little at the sudden touch, but only just, and then simply adjusted her head to fit a new, more comfortable position, then let out a deep breath.

Lauren still wasn't entirely sure if she was cut out to be an owner of such a creature-after all, she knew so very little about it, or about Pokémon in general. And judging by what scant research she already had done, there was a lot to know. Ivy had given her tips, but in the end, they'd felt like just that-tips. Yet as she sat here, watching her little orange companion slumber, now and again squishing closer into her, she thought she could feel the contentedness in its heart and she smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad... Maybe she could do this...

A sound interrupted her thoughts and she looked away towards the large sliding glass door that led out onto the shared balcony she had with her neighbor. She hadn't actually met any of them, which, having been raised on the traditions of White Garden City where it was customary to meet and greet your neighbors as soon as possible, she had felt quite bad about. It wasn't her fault, though-in all the rushing around she'd had to do over the past few days, she just hadn't had the time.

The balcony was actually quite big-enough that a patio table and several chairs could fit just on her side, and the only thing standing between the two was a tall white gate. She could, however, see the other side even from where she was sitting, and curiosity quickly got the better of her as she craned her neck to see what had made the sound.

The first thing she saw was that of something large and brown-a case of some sort-emerge from within the neighbor's house. Given the odd shape, Lauren supposed it to be some sort of stringed instrument and she chanced to make her furry companion slightly less comfortable by stretching a little further over the side of the couch to get a better view.

Slowly, but surely, the silken hand holding the case came into her purview, and Lauren traced it back to a figure-a girl with vibrant and curly golden hair, whose face she couldn't quite see as she sat with her back to the window. She opened the case, which as Lauren suspected, housed an acoustic guitar that the girl daintily removed placing it on her lap. This was followed by a little streak of blue, which had launched from the floor of the balcony and landed with a little bounce on the wide railing, making Lauren almost gasp instinctively.

The thing, as it turned out, was a Pokémon, though this one was barely half a foot tall and looked light enough that Lauren could've picked it up in one hand. It was plump and round, the color of the sky, with tiny little feet and a long, thin tail to which there was a similarly blue puff-ball attached. It didn't appear to have any arms and skipped around lively despite the tediousness of its position.

Lauren wondered at this pair a moment, pleased, at the very least, to know that there was someone else with a Pokémon living next door that she could perhaps ply for advice whenever she was at a loss herself. Or at least, those were her thoughts right up until the girl began to play on her instrument, and then...sing.

_Call out to me sweetly,_   
_Oh, please say my name,_   
_I can bear it no more._

_Wake up my heart,_   
_From these echoes of shame,_   
_Make me breathe, soar..._

The wispy sound of the young woman's voice sent a shiver up Lauren's spine, and she only then realized she was holding her breath. By now, half of her torso was leaning over the side of the couch, prompting her companion to waken and whine incredulously. She, too, quieted at the sound of the melody as the girl kept up her song, her little blue companion swaying happily beside her.

_Touch me with your words,_   
_Tempt me with your lips._   
_Make me wish you were here._

_Your love is an endless sea_   
_And mine is a ship,_   
_Show me to the pier..._

Lauren could almost just see past the last of the golden locks by now. Just...a little closer...OH!

A loud, clamor follow as she lost her balance and plummeted over the side of the couch, crashing into the floor. Her first reaction probably should have been to stay still and bemoan her own foolishness, but when she saw the girl start to turn her head and look towards Lauren's apartment, she quickly dove behind the couch.

Out of sight now, Lauren pressed her hands into her forehead. That...was...so stupid. Surely pretty high on the list of stupid things she'd done this week-maybe even this year, and she berated herself grumpily as she looked over, seeing the Vulpix leap down to the floor beside her and look at her quizzically.

"...don't you dare laugh," Lauren said, eyeing the tiny beast who, for her part, simply planted herself and cocked her head up at the unamused young woman.

"Ughh..." she exclaimed, throwing her hands to the floor beside her. She wondered vaguely if the girl has seen her retreating behind the couch. What must she be thinking if she had! Surely she would assume Lauren was some sort of moron with zero balance, or worse, she'd realized that she was spying on her. Wait...what if...what if she came over to check on what the sound was?! Oh geez...

She held her breath and sat there, probably much longer than she needed to, waiting to hear the sound of footsteps coming down the hall or a furious knock on her door. But after several minutes, nothing came and Lauren all but sank into a heap on the floor, then braved a peek around the side of the couch.

The girl wasn't on the balcony anymore, though the guitar was still sitting up against the chair. The little blue Pokemon, too, was still meandering along the ledge, and it made some sort of gesture towards her neighbor's door just as she walked out, sitting a glass of lemon water on the patio table before once more disappearing inside.

Lauren let out a deep, rumbling sigh and turned away. Her eyes rose to meet the Vulpix's, who stared back at her now more concerned than curious and leaned forward, sniffing at the small lump that was growing on her forehead.

Eventually, Lauren got up, making sure that the neighbor girl wasn't within sight before sneaking over and grabbing her phone, then went for her purse. She'd just make her escape! That would fix this situation. She'd just slip away without a sound and her neighbor would never know any difference! It was the perfect plan!

"Psst!" she whispered to the Vulpix, who followed her into the kitchen, then again to the door. Slipping on her coat, she pulled the keys out of the bowl with as much care and quiet as she could and turned the handle. As she opened the door...

"Hey there!" a voice said as she turned to walk out the door, and Lauren's gaze turned to meet a pair of crystal-blue eyes and a quirky smile. It was her!

Lauren gasped in surprise, feeling her cheeks grow warm almost immediately, which was partly due to her embarrassment from nearly stumbling into the side-table upon seeing her standing there, and partly because...

...she was...beautiful!


	8. Chapter 8

Eisethe spat into the sink, the mouthwash burning the open wound inside of her mouth where her teeth had cut into the soft inner flesh of her cheek. On the outside, there was a light brown bruise, but it might as well have been a branding of personal shame--one that she'd have a hard time living down. Still, the stinging pain was better than having to endure the taste of blood any longer.

As she ran her fingers roughly through her hair, a long, thin tendril slithered into view behind her, holding forth a towel. It was enough to bring a fleeting grin to her lips as her gaze dropped to meet the large, oval eyes of the Bulbasaur at her side, looking back up at her with concern.

"...thanks, Bud," she said in a still voice that seemed to lack the same emotion that she had shown during her encounter with that girl in the subway. Now her tone was gray and hollow, almost tired-sounding, and she took the towel, burying her face into it.

She'd never expected that girl to put up a fight like that. She was too used to people buckling when she started in on the intimidation routine, but this one... That defiant look in her eyes threw Eisethe completely off her game. She'd even started to sound like her father there towards the end when she started threatening her, which even now pissed her off way more than the fact that she'd lost to a complete newbie.

She let out a disgusted sigh and stepped back a little, pressing her back against the cold tile wall behind her before sinking down to sit on the floor, not even seeming to care about the fact that this was a public restroom.

For his part, the little green Pokémon approached, stopping at her side and looking up at her with a gurgling coo. Eisethe just stared at the ground in front of her, but her hand still found its way to the creature's wide, gleaning forehead where she rested it. It gave them both a little sense of reassurance, and at the same time allowed her mind a moment to wonder what she should do now.

She reached for her bag with her free hand, snatching up the old, beaten-up smartphone that she'd gone through all that trouble to retrieve, and turned on the screen.

Twenty-seven messages, and yet, she didn't have the energy to open most of them. This whole ordeal had sucked the willingness to care about that part of her life completely out of her which, all things considered, wasn't all that new. Even today, it had taken all the effort she could muster just to get out of bed. In fact, the only driving force to making that decision was...

She flicked through the list of messages, eyes skimming only the senders' names.

No...

...no...

...no...

Her fingers stopped scrolling, finally finding a name that conjured something beyond apathy. Unfortunately, however, that feeling was a very sudden a dreadful sense of panic, and she hadn't even finished reading the text before she leaped to her feet, shoving the phone into her bra and grabbing for her bag. The Pokémon, though surprised by the sudden change in its owner's demeanor, quickly followed suit, and together they made quickly for the door.

The transition from the dim, yellowy bathroom into the bright light of the convenience store was enough to make Eisethe wince, but it was over just as quickly as she stepped back out onto the city street, greeted by the loud blare of a supply truck pulling out of the nearby alleyway. Any other time she would've stopped to give the guy a piece of her mind for just driving out into the street without watching where he was going, but right now, she had more important things to attend to.

As they made their way quickly down the street towards the bus stop, the Bulbasaur followed close behind, urged on by the sense of haste in Eisethe's frantic movements. Nevertheless, he kept a wary eye on their surroundings, even stopping to look in both directions before they slid into the bus that was only just finished emptying its passengers onto the sidewalk in front of them.

By now, Eisethe had slipped on an old baseball cap from her bag and popped the collar on her jacket in an effort to avoid notice, though this time, she didn't need it: this particular driver was new, probably only recently hired on. She knew them all by now, and there was a real chance she could've slipped past him and gotten another 'free' ride, but...no. She didn't have the time to deal with the bullshit if she screwed up again. Besides, this kid looked spry enough that he might actually be able to catch her if she ran, though she doubted he'd be able to do much beyond that.

For the next half an hour, Eisethe's leg refused to stop jittering, and though her eyes stared out the window at the world moving past, she was, in truth, far from that place and instead lost deep inside of her own mind.

Eventually, the bus pulled up to her destination, and there was only an instant between Eisethe rising from her seat to leave and her feet hitting the sidewalk, leaving the perplexed-looking young man driving the bus still holding the change as she sped off.

Of the many things that Century City was known for, the hospital was perhaps the most prestigious. Corel Heights Medical Center was practically the hub of all medical research, and it was the place to go for those seeking top-of-the-line medical care. People came to this place from all over the world hoping to find answers to questions that no one else seemed to be able to answer in terms of diseases, afflictions, and anything else that would require a medical mind. That said, it certainly wasn't cheap, and just walking in the door with a problem could set a white-collar worker back almost two month's pay.

As one could imagine, the place was sleek and modern, the staff was all prim and proper, and there was a certain order to everything about it, from how the tile fit perfectly snug between the walls, to the uniform appearance of the lobby. So to say that Eisethe stood out when she walked in with her hair ruffled, her jeans tattered, and her face bruised would have been an understatement. For a moment, she was the center of all attention as she burst through the door and ran hell-bent towards the stairwell. Not that she noticed.

When she finally made it to the sixth-floor lobby, she was almost out of breath and she looked up to see a group of familiar faces standing with a plump, gray-headed doctor who seemed to always have a scowl on his face.

"Oh great..." said one of them. A tall fellow easily more than twice her age, with a pair of beady brown eyes that only shrunk even more as he narrowed them at her. His white-blonde brow knit together whenever he did this, creating a rather comical-looking face. "I was wondering when you'd drag your worthless ass up here."

"Where is she?" Eisethe snapped between heavy breaths, fangs bore almost straight out of the gate. Her tone was meant for the one who had addressed her, but her words and the fierce look in her eyes were for the doctor who put up his hands as if expecting her to assault him.

"Relax, Miss Crowe, we've only just moved her to the eastern corridor, room nine-two-nine" he explained, his voice belying a far gentler persona than his visage gave credit, "No complications. I believe your friend is--"

Eisethe had already started to turn on her heel before he'd even gotten to the rest, and she could hear the other man--her uncle--yelling after her, though the words were lost to her. She practically slid as she came to the room indicated and peered in, her eyes immediately settling on the young form in the bed. It was instinct by now to watch her chest to make sure she was breathing, and Eisethe released a heavy breath as the blankets rose and fell.

"She's fine..." came a voice from within the room, prompting Eisethe to peer around the corner. A woman, probably no more than a decade older than herself, sat in the corner, trails of straight black hair streaming down her past her shoulders and almost to the floor. Her face was soft and curved, and her eyes cut a little lower from her brow, making it look like she had a large forehead. Sillow was probably the closest thing that Eisethe had to a close family friend, and had been the one who had texted her earlier.

Eisethe crossed the room and knelt down next to the bed, taking the hand of the fail young girl moored there and looking over her, like she were unable to fully trust even Sillow's word.

She was pale, though this was exaggerated by the fact that she was fair-skinned with deep, scarlet hair like Eisethe's, and though it was difficult to make out her features due to the ventilator, it was plain as day that the girl was sickly, especially her hands. They were thin, to the point where Eisethe could almost feel each of the individual bones in her knuckles, and she carefully clasped the girl's hands in her own, as if wary that too much pressure might crush them.

It wasn't long before the party--her uncle, aunt, and grandfather, as well as the doctor--made their way to the room and, as ever, the former made himself quite known, clearing his throat loudly. It was the doctor, however, who spoke first.

"As I said, it all went well. The transfer, I mean, and I--"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eisethe interrupted, turning her head to give them all a dark glare, "You don't have the right to just move her around wherever you want, she's my responsibility!"

"Don't forget yourself, girl," her uncle, Curt, growled back, eager to try and stifle the wild teenager's wrath, "You only hold half of her power of attorney, remember? Your grandfather made the decision. The hospital agreed to lower the rate of the room if we moved her to this side of the hall."

"Yeah, that's no wonder, you moved her to the nosebleed section," Eisethe snapped back, releasing the hand she was holding and rising to face her uncle, "What if something happens? It'll take that much longer for someone to get to her if she needs help!"

"Eisethe..." came Sillow's voice, "...please keep your voice down." She nodded to the form on the bed, who was visibly clenching a little in response to the yelling. Despite her want to unload right then and there, the sight was enough to quell Eisethe's rage, if only for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over to the doctor, "The agreement was that both he and I have to make these decisions together."

The doctor nodded, frowning "You're right of course," he began, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a small cloth from his pocket, "But that agreement was made with the idea in mind that you would be sharing the financial burden of her housing and care. Since your grandfather is the one who has been responsible for that--"

"I _said_ that I'd get the money to you by the end of the week!" she growled, though caught herself before the volume of her tone got too high.

"Be that as it may..." the doctor started, though was again interrupted, this time by the uncle.

"You ungrateful little brat," he said, waving to the older man standing beside him, "Your grandfather made the decision to help both of you ease the costs! Unlike you, he's thinking about her long-term care _and_ yours. Maybe if you'd stop acting like a child, you'd be able to see that."

Eisethe tightened her fingers a little in an otherwise vain attempt at channeling all the negative emotions she felt for the man. Her uncle had always been this way ever since her father--the brother of the uncle standing before her--had married her mother, and it had only gotten worse since the former died and the latter skipped town. Eisethe was the only thing left for him to pour his grief at. A part of her couldn't blame him, but it was only a small part; the rest just wanted to punch him in the jewels.

She looked over, searching the face of the elderly man with them. Her grandfather, Eimond. Even now, he seemed to cower away from both her and her uncle, unwilling to face either. Unwilling to choose a side, as always it had been even when her father was still alive. And despite his social standing, the man was easily manipulated, particularly when it came to the whims and wishes of his progeny. He would have never made this kind of decision on his own. No...this was her uncle's doing.

"Anyway," the doctor said, trying both to diffuse the growing tension in the room and help ease the girl's worry, "You needn't concern yourself. I assure you that our responders will have no more of a problem attending to her while she is in this room than as before."

"Yeah, pretty sure that's what they said when dad--" Eisethe started to say, but was swiftly interrupted by the form of her uncle moving towards her, raising his hand to strike her.

That slap, however, never made it to her cheek, stopped halfway by a pair of vined appendages that at first only held him back. The more he resisted, however, the harder they tightened and he looked down to scowl at the small, green creature at Eisethe's feet which growled back up at him threateningly, slowly forcing the older man towards his knees.

"Miss Crowe..." the doctor replied again, gently, "You have my word. I'll watch her like a hawk. Now please..." His eyes went down to the Bulbasaur which, at her word, eventually released Curt's arm, though maintained a steady, defensive stance in case he should get any more less-than-clever ideas.

"...fine," she said eventually with a grumble. It was always about money with people like that. This is why she hated the nobility. "But if there are any incidents, she goes back to the other room, and I'll pay the costs myself."

"Tch," her uncle started in on a smart remark, but her aunt, who had up until this point been quiet and otherwise as motionless as a boutique store mannequin, stopped him by touching her hand to his wrist. Thus he only grumbled out "Not likely," and then turned to leave.

Eisethe's eyes drifted over to her grandfather, who looked towards her sadly, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze and left without a word.

Once they were all away, Eisethe all but collapsed into the chair beside the bed, leaving forward on her elbows and burying her head in her arms.

"It was the right thing to do," came the voice of Sillow, making Eisethe jump a little. She'd almost forgotten that she was in the room and she looked up, her dour glance falling on the woman's form. She hadn't even moved, and simply sat there, slowly turning the page of her book.

"You always say that yelling and screaming is the worst way to handle your problems," Eisethe said, somewhat bemused.

"I meant transferring her," Sillow's voice came without even skipping a beat or wavering in tone, "It's only a few doors further from the nurse's station, and the hospital halved the cost of her stay for the next six months. It'll save you money in the long run. Money that you can use to put towards her care."

"...maybe," Eisethe said, leaning back against the wall, "Doesn't mean I have to like it..." Now that the encounter had ended, the emotion was slowly draining out of her tone, leaving her once again sounding exhausted.

Something nudged at her leg and she looked down, seeing her little green companion rubbing its head against her in an effort to console her. She reached down, picking the creature up and putting him on her lap, rubbing his head. In response, it gurgled happily and settled in.

Ultimately, however, Eisethe's gaze fell back upon the young form beside her, watching the rhythmic breathing induced by the ugly machine strapped to her face.

"...she's going to make it," Eisethe said eventually, not taking her eyes off the sleeping figure before her. "Right...?"

Sillow closed her book, looking up for the first time with a pair of hazel eyes, "She's strong...like you."

"...I'm not that strong. I got my ass kicked by some newbie trainer in the subway," Eisethe said, a fleeting smile passing across her face, "...and I somehow managed to lose that Pokemon I got for her in the process."

"Ah, that's right...you got a Vulpix for her, didn't you? That one was her favorite, wasn't it?"

" _Is_ ," Eisethe growled. "It _is_ her favorite. Don't talk like she's gone. That pisses me off."

"My apologies, Miss Crowe..." Sillow said, eventually standing and collecting her purse from the nearby sofa. "I need to go home now. I'll be by the day after tomorrow to check in on her."

Eisethe shook her head, "...thanks, Sill," She still hadn't taken her eyes off the girl in the bed, but at least now, she felt like she could breathe a little easily.

"It's no problem," said the older woman, "I'm happy to help out. Both of you. I am, as ever, still your au pair. And your friend." As she left, she stopped at the door, turning a little, "You should get some rest too, mistress. You've been pushing yourself too hard recently. Not even you can take that kind of punishment, you know."

Eisethe just laughed a little through her nose, shrugging, "No rest for the wicked..."

"There's nothing wicked about you, Miss Crowe. Much as you would believe otherwise," Sillow replied, then stepped out, closing the door behind her and leaving the fiery redhead alone--mostly.

Eisethe continued to watch her, to the point where eventually, her breathing synced almost perfectly with the girl in the hospital bed. There was no avoiding it now. She'd have to spend the night. Her heart couldn't take any more 'surprises'. She'd just crash right there and tell the nurse she 'fell asleep on accident' again. They had to know that she was playing them by now, but for whatever reason, they didn't seem too quick to reprimand her or send her packing--something that Eisethe was incredibly thankful for.

"...what now...?"

The question had been weighing on Eisethe's mind for the past two weeks, though now it felt almost twice as heavy

She reached up, digging the phone out of her bra and opening it, navigating her way back to the messages screen and flicked through until she found the one she wanted.

_**[- I have a new job for you. Risky, but it'll be big bucks. Call me if you're in. --L -]** _

Risky, huh? Eisethe had a pretty good idea what kind of work this guy defined as 'risky', and it was never good for anyone.

...but when he said 'big bucks', he meant it.

She looked up, eyeing the slumbering figure on the bed. In the end, it didn't really matter what Eisethe thought. After all, none of this was for herself. It was all for her.

She yawned and, as if on cue, the Bulbasaur did as well, causing Eisethe to smile a little, "You too, huh?" She patted the little creature, who got up and spun around in her lap, finding a more comfortable position, and settled in. It was a little uncomfortable for her, but she didn't mind in the end.

Eisethe laughed again through her nose as the Pokemon snuggled into her stomach, "Good night, Bud..." Then she looked up, offering a similar smile to the only other person in the room. The only other person in her life that really mattered.

"...good night...sis..."


	9. Chapter 9

Lauren looked down at her phone, then back up to the building in front of her, and then back down at her phone again. Moments later, a sigh escaped from her nose: one that spoke of baffled disappointment. This really was just her luck.

"Are you sure I'm in the right place?" she asked the phone screen, on which Ivy's giddy face was plastered, looking up at her with a slightly cocked head.

"Yeah, I'm one-hundred percent sure. Why?" the nurse replied, seeming not to interpret whatever Lauren's issue was.

"I thought you said it was a white building with a Pokéball symbol above it?"

"Yeah! That's the one! What's the problem?"

"Cause this is what I'm looking at right now," Lauren said, turning her phone to face the old, run-down-looking warehouse that she found at the end of Trent Street. The address was right, or at least, the address Ivy gave her was a real address, but...

"Oh...uhh..." Ivy said as Lauren turned the phone around, now scowling. What was it with the people she knew giving her bad directions?! Sure, it was sort of her own fault for not vetting the address first on the map app's information, but that wasn't the point!

Ivy, meanwhile, had rushed to her computer screen and was pulling up the information, "Eheh...juuust a sec!"

"Ivy...you're lucky I'm not the violent type..." Lauren growled, glaring ever more at the image of the nurse.

"Now, now," Ivy said, "Ok, got it. Looks like its...two streets west of you. Elmoor Street! Same numbers, though."

"That doesn't even sound like Trent Street!" Lauren complained vividly, squeezing the phone a little. She's already begun to turn westward and make her way there. So much for being early.

"At least I was kinda close, right?" Ivy gave her an apologetic smile, "I'll buy you a drink later to say I'm sorry. Kay?"

Lauren narrowed her eyes, causing her friend to shift uncomfortably, but eventually relented, "Blue raspberry. And cherries!"

"A whole bunch!" Ivy said, winking and quickly taking the opportunity to exit the call.

Lauren sighed deeply, shoving the phone back into her purse pocket and looking ahead. The buildings here were all tall, wide warehouse complexes, so it made it impossible to see between streets. She might've been wandering for hours looking for the place! Unbelievable. That girl was going to get an earful later.

Of course, it didn't help that Lauren was still a bit flustered from earlier. As it turned out, her neighbor--whom she found out was named Amelia--just wanted to borrow a bit of lime which, sadly, Lauren didn't have. To be quite honest, she didn't have much of anything grocery-wise; she'd not had the time to even find the local supermarket and had just been surviving on take-out until she had a moment to breathe. 

Amelia didn't seem to mind and even offered to have her over for drinks, which Lauren had managed to duck out of, using the meeting with the Professor as an excuse. Although, was it really an excuse? Prior obligations weren't really excuses, right?

Then again, her having to get here was only part of the reason she refused, the other being that she found herself barely able to speak. It took her almost a dozen seconds just to say hello when she appeared there on the other side of her door, glittering golden locks streaming down over milky-white shoulders and a thin layer of red accentuating a pair of perfectly curved lips. As well as...other curves. No! No, no, it was best she got out of there quickly, lest she started blathering nonsense; and even then, nonsense would've been the best-case scenario.

Lauren shook her head a little, clapping her hands against her cheeks. That was quite enough of that! She needed to look presentable for Professor Clover, not like some rabid schoolgirl with a crush. She needed to follow the proper protocol; doing so would no doubt go a long way toward convincing her sponsor of her maturity, even if right now she was feeling distinctly less mature than she actually was.

On a whim, she looked down at the tiny beast following her, as if hoping for some form of reassurance. It just looked back up at her, however, cocking its head sideways as if confused as to why she was so red. She thought she could detect a knowing look in its eyes, which made Lauren frown.

"You're no help," she said, prompting a tiny yip from the Vulpix, who turned back to face the path ahead and hopped over a drain on the sidewalk. Lauren envied how carefree the fox seemed, and idly wondered if the life of a Pokémon was easier than living as a human. It certainly felt like it.

Eventually, the building came into view and Lauren breathed out a sigh of relief. She was still going to give Ivy what-for, but at least she came through in the end, even if it did make her a little late.

She made her way briskly along the sidewalk, stopping to wait on the street light before jogging up to the pathway leading up to the place. It was quite big. Bigger, even, than Ivy had made it sound, though it was moreso just spread out, not tall. Just as the nurse said, it was sleek and white, and a green Pokéball symbol was displayed prominently above the entrance, where Lauren soon found herself.

The door was automatic and she walked in, her companion in tow, and stopped to look around. The lobby wasn't all that big: only a minimum number of seats and a glass window against the far wall next to a big white door. There was another door adjacent to that one, but it was larger and looked much more intimidating.

Deciding to stand clear of both, Lauren made her way across the room, coming to stand before the glass pane, and peered into what she assumed was an office of some sort--probably a clerical assistant. Unfortunately, however, there wasn't anyone to be found within the room, though she could clearly see a half-drunk cup of coffee sitting next to the computer screen on the desk below.

She tapped on the glass and spoke a greeting, then did so again a little louder when no one answered. Was no one here? She pulled out her phone, checking the time. Five minutes past the hour. She was later getting in than she thought she'd be. Maybe the professor got tired of waiting?

Lauren frowned, tapping a few more times, "Helloooooo?"

Still, no answer. Lauren sighed, looking around the room. Nice job, Lauren, you've ticked off your boss already.

She was about to go and have a seat, hoping the professor would take her apology easily when her eyes fell on the door next to the window. It was...open, if only a little, and as she leaned closer, she could hear what sounded like faint music coming from the hallway beyond.

Lauren bit her lip. Should she just...? No, wait, it would be rude to enter without permission. Then again... She looked down at the Vulpix, who was already trying to wedge her nose into the room beyond.

"You think so too, huh?" Lauren said, almost whispering to the Vulpix, who stepped back and barked at her. "Alright, but if we get in trouble, I'm going to say this was all your idea." The creature gave her a look that Lauren took as uncaring nonchalance and waited for her to open the door.

Lauren crept into the hallway at first, still a little unsure of the whole situation, but when her little friend bounded forward towards the door at the far end of the hall, she hurried to catch up. The music was getting progressively louder as they neared it and she knocked as they came to stand in front of it.

Still no answer, but as loud as the music probably was on the other side, she was hardly surprised. Who in the world listened to heavy metal in a laboratory?

The Vulpix rose, placing her front paws on the door, and barked up at Lauren, to which she frowned in answer, "Ivy's the pushy one, not you! You're picking up a few too many bad habits for my liking, you know."

Despite her words, her eyes went to the door handle. Much as she hated to admit it, the Pokémon was right: she had already dared to come this far, no point in hesitating now.

The music blared into her ears as she opened the door and poked her head in, peering around. It was a large, pure white space that was partially separated off by a plexiglass wall. This side of the room appeared to be some sort of observation, and she noticed a smaller room to her right that looked like some sort of control functions in it. On the other side of the glass, however, the entire room was caked from wall to wall in a variety of different machines, none of which Lauren recognized or could even hazard a guess on. One did look a little like a centrifuge, but was entirely too big for needs like that, and looked ancient compared to the technology she'd seen at the hospital where she'd done her clinical trials.

Eventually, her eyes settled on a singular figure drenched in a large white lab-coat, busy at work in front of a rather gigantic computer screen at the far end of the room opposite her, their form bobbing to the music. Music which, as it happened, was emanating from the miniature control room.

Lauren's first thought was to try the door leading into the lab, but she hesitated. If protocol here as anything like it was in the hospital, then she'd have to go through screening before she entered lab areas, and since she didn't know what all was required for that...

With little else to go on, she walked over into the small control room, looking around for some way to get the woman's attention. Before she could do more than glance over her options, however, the Vulpix jumped up on the workstation, stepping on several buttons as it did and barking.

As it happened, however, one of those buttons appeared to control the intercom, and so when the Pokémon let out its cry, it blared over the music and causing the woman working in the lab to fling herself backwards. The rolling chair, not one to balk at a little inertia, carried the woman almost all the way towards the other end of the room where it eventually crashed into a table which, fortunately, had nothing of any real consequence on it.

"G-get off of there!" Lauren scolded, grasping the Vulpix and putting it gently on the ground, then quickly found the button to turn off the music. Once done, she activated the intercom and spoke it into, "I'm so sorry! We were just trying to find a way to get your attention! My name is L-"

"Lauren Hart!" came the woman's voice as she jumped up from the floor where she'd finally come to a rest. "Yes, I've been expecting you!"

Lauren was momentarily speechless as she watched the woman effortlessly dust herself off and straighten her lab coat. She seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened and wore a broad smile beneath bright blue eyes. Her wheat-colored hair had fallen out of its bun during the crash and now scattered over her shoulders, making her look every bit the part of what one might think of when they hear the words 'mad scientist'.

"Professor...Clover...?" Lauren said, still wary about the fact that the woman had taken a tumble. Maybe she had a concussion and this was adrenaline driving her...?

"That's my name!" the woman said, giving a casual one-finger salute. Lauren wasn't quite sure what to make of her demeanor, but she seemed...friendly enough if a bit animated. "Well don't just stand there, come in, come in!"

"Err..." Lauren said a bit vacantly but eventually did as she was bidden, entering the lab with her Pokémon close at heel. As she approached, she started to extend her hand, but soon found herself grappled as the Professor closed her arms around her, squeezing. 

Lauren was instinctively taken aback and tried to wriggle free, but to no avail. In White Garden City where she'd grown up, such public displays were reserved only for close friends or partners, of which the Professor was neither, and so it took a moment for Lauren to get her bearings back when she was finally released.

"First off!" Clover said, her hands still firmly on Lauren's shoulders, "I'd like to give you my thanks! That was some impressive heroism you showed the other day! One of the emergency crewmen who rode with me to the hospital told me everything on the way and by golly, I think I might've been a goner if you and your Pokémon hadn't arrived on the scene!"

Lauren still couldn't quite formulate words and had since given up on escaping the Professor's iron grip, but it didn't really matter since she was hardly allowed any time to speak before the scientist continued.

"And second!" Here, the Professor released her and took a few steps back, clapping her hands together and offering up an apologetic motion, "I'm very sorry! If I hadn't been so concerned with making sure the results of my research escaped the blaze, you wouldn't have had to step in like you did!"

Here she actually gave Lauren a chance to respond, though the meek girl was now even more embarrassed that someone who was likely a decade her senior was kowtowing before her. "O-oh, no, please..." she finally managed out, "I was just happy to--"

"Nonsense!" Professor Clover exclaimed, now assuming a more casual air, putting her hand on her hip and leaning partially to one side. "You risked your neck to help out a stubborn old windbag, and I appreciate it! Which is exactly why I wanted to ask you to come here."

"Oh...r-right..." Lauren said, slowly coming fully back to reality, "The girl at the Pokémon Center... She explained it...sort of. You're my...sponsor?"

"That's right!" Clover beamed, "When I came to later that day, I'd planned to contact you and thank you sooner, but when I saw that you were an unsponsored trainer with a Pokémon, I decided that would be the best way to show my gratitude! You were planning to apply for one anyway, right? Fortunately, as a Pokémon Professor of some repute, my influence carries quite a bit of weight in regards to these sorts of things, although you're actually the first trainer I've ever sponsored, so I do apologize that it took so long!"

Lauren mostly just let the professor talk without attempting to interrupt. Some of this made sense, but it still surprised her how swiftly all these decisions had been made. The woman certainly did come off as the impulsive sort, though in this case, Lauren was grateful for that fact.

"Now then!" Clover said, clapping her hands, "I bet you're wondering about how all this works, right?"

Lauren nodded and the professor motioned towards a table where a few chairs were set up. She followed, sitting across from the intrepid woman and the Vulpix immediately hopped up into Lauren's lap. The professor just smiled.

Lauren decided to use the moment of silence to try and steer the conversation in as direct a line as possible. Something told her that she shouldn't let this woman take the reins. "So...Ivy--that girl I mentioned at the Pokémon Center--she said that I'm supposed to do...something? To prove I can take care of a Pokémon?"

"Precisely," Clover replied, leaning back in her chair a little and hooking one leg up over the other, "Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd just ask you some questions, sign the papers, and let you go on your way, but there are rules to this that supersede that. After all, Pokémon are incredible creatures, as you no doubt have realized, and possess capabilities far beyond that of any human effort or human technology."

Lauren nodded, recalling the charred scene they'd left in the subway. She'd gotten a first-hand look at just how strong these creatures and their unique abilities could be, so it made a measure of sense that they shouldn't be trusted to just anyone.

"So...what do I have to do?"

The professor smiled a little, "Well, the Board of Pokémon Safety's rules are pretty vague on how we're supposed to test trainers--believe you me, this is all pretty new to both of us. From what I understand, however, the goal is just to obtain an understanding of Pokémon, how they live, how to take care of them, and how they affect the world as a whole. Most people do this by becoming trainers and go out into the world on 'Pokémon journeys'."

Lauren winced, eliciting a smirk from her sponsor, followed by a wink.

Clover continued, "But I think that's a little too old fashioned. You're not a pre-teen and I suspect you have your share of prior obligations you need to attend to, so I've opted to try something a little different with you.

Lauren wasn't sure if she should feel fortunate to have come across an understanding sponsor like Professor Clover or worried about what the implications of 'a little different' might mean.

"I'd like you to help me with my research," Clover said finally, smiling.

"O-oh..." Lauren said, trying to hide her sigh of relief behind words. "What...are you researching? And...how can I help? I'm...just a medical student."

"I'm glad you asked!" the professor said, leaning forward, eyes flashing with a sudden sheen of excitement, "Well, as I said before, I'm a Pokémon Professor, meaning that I study Pokémon!"

"Oh...that's right," Lauren said, thinking back, "Your focus is on the relationship between people and Pokémon, right?"

"Very good!" Clover smiled, "You've done your homework! Yes, my work specifically deals with the bond between people like you and," she paused, looking down into the eyes of the Vulpix in Lauren's lap before continuing, "creatures like this!"

She looked back up, meeting Lauren's gaze, "In fact, you two are actually of particular interest to me."

"What...do you mean?" Lauren said, suddenly a little less fortunate.

"My understanding is that you've only recently come into possession of that Pokémon, yet you've managed to work together to save someone from a burning building, as well as defeat a seasoned opponent in battle with multiple opponents."

Lauren's heart jumped and she swallowed, "How did you know that?"

The professor didn't answer and instead went on, "In the short span of time that you and that Pokémon have been in contact, you've managed to sync perfectly, and while it isn't unheard of for things like this to happen, it doesn't happen so quickly without your Pokémon having undergone specific training. Training like that usually is done when a Pokémon is meant to be given as a trainer's 'starter' companion. According to the information from the scans that were taken at the Pokémon Center, however, your Pokémon doesn't have that training...and yet..."

Lauren gulped, instinctively pressing back into the chair as Professor Clover leaned even further over the table, resting her chin on the back of her hand.

"...and yet, even now while that chair you're sitting in is reading your vitals, I can see that your hearts are beating in perfect unison. Not to mention...so is your breathing." 

Lauren looked down at the Vulpix, who craned her neck around to look back. It...was true. Even though her breath was a little quickened, the Pokémon breathed in and out at exactly the same moment as she did.

"An impossible bond..." the professor said softly, "Just what are you two to each other, I wonder...?"

Lauren didn't have an answer, nor could she. All she could do was stare deep into the pupilless brown eyes of the fox in her lap. If there were any words for the feeling inside of her, she didn't know them, but she wondered about it all the same.

_What...am I...to you?_


	10. Chapter 10

"She really said that?" Iris's voice said from the couch. Her words reached the nearby counter where Lauren was busy chopping vegetables, and a hot broth rippled as it began to boil in a pot beside her. Already the small abode was filled with the smell of the mirin and soy sauce that swirled around within the mixture.

The deal had been that Iris would have to buy drinks, which she did, but Lauren had expected that she'd invite her out somewhere. That is until she showed up at her door whilst Lauren was employed in the beginning stages of making dinner. No text. No call. She was just there and rather than feel awkward being the only person in the room eating while they hung out, she invited Iris to share.

By the giddy smile on the nurse's face, one might have thought she'd specifically planned it...

"Seems a little dramatic, doesn't it?" Iris continued. Already she'd made herself very much at home, nestled into the corner of the fancy couch, one leg dangling off the front while the other was slung across the length.

"I guess..." Lauren replied soundly. In truth, she was pretty awful at multi-tasking, and whatever she was doing--in this case, cooking--was what she focused on. Still, it wasn't as though she had much else to say about it. Yesterday's meeting with Professor Clover had been...illuminating, to say the least, and not just because of the bombshell she dropped about having an 'unnatural connection' to another living being.

Alongside the pot sat a small skillet, in which she'd been frying up the tofu she'd purchased that morning and had since been marinating in a plastic bag. This, along with the vegetables, she dumped into the broth, along with a square of noodles. The only thing that was missing was the egg, which she had of course forgotten to buy when shopping earlier that day. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

With a moment now before she needed to do anything more, she looked up, her eyes settling on the form of the Vulpix curled up on the top rim of the couch. The fox had been watching Lauren cook the whole time, her little black nose wiggling now and then as she caught a whiff of a new smell wafting in from the kitchen. Now that Lauren was done, however, the Vulpix perked up a little, ears twitching expectantly.

Lauren didn't have the heart to tell the creature that she couldn't eat the noodles. Fortunately, however, she had come prepared. Pokémon food, it seemed, come in all sorts of varieties, from biscuits to gravy dishes, to liquid meals, and everything in between. And though most Pokémon had their own preferences just like people, Lauren's little companion was difficult to disappoint when it came to food.

In fact, the only stipulation that the creature seemed to have was that it preferred its food warmed up, which made some amount of sense to Lauren. It was a fire-type, after all.

"So what else did you find out?" Iris continued prodding. This woman, Lauren had learned, was the complete opposite of herself. Where Lauren was soft-spoken and generally didn't make a lot of excessive conversation, Iris couldn't seem to abide in a room full of silence.

"Well..." Lauren started, taking her fork and stirring the slowly softening noodles apart, "I'm supposed to do some sort of fieldwork, but the Professor was mum on the details."

"Ohh, mysterious!" Iris said, fluttering her fingers in the air sarcastically. "I'm sure it won't be anything crazy, though. You told her that you were about to start attending uni, didn't you?"

"In a few weeks, yeah," Lauren said, switching off the heat of the oven. "I gave her my schedule already, so she knows when I'll be available."

"Eh, I don't think I would've done that," Iris tutted, "If she knows your schedule, that means you'll have fewer excuses to duck out if you need a break."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to lie to someone who's trying to help me."

"Hey, I'm just saying!" Iris shrugged. "Sometimes you gotta make room for a little R and R, ya know?"

"I'm fine..."

Iris didn't seem too keen to push the topic further and instead switched to another, sitting up, "Anyway, so how are you two getting along? You and your Pokémon, I mean. You still haven't given her a name yet, have you?"

A pang of guilt shot through Lauren's mind and she shook her head. "I...just haven't found the right one, and I've been busy..."

Iris laughed, "Don't get all bent out of shape about it, I was just messing with you."

"Mm..." Lauren still felt bad regardless, but pushed the feeling away, "We're...doing well, I think. I'm not sure about this whole 'being connected' thing that the Professor was talking about but...I don't know, we just...understand each other, I guess, and I've gotten down the basics of taking care of her."

She eyed the Vulpix, who had risen from her spot and now lept down to the floor, footsteps hardly making a sound as she padded into the kitchen. This was all in response to Lauren taking the third pot from off the top of the stove and dumping its contents into a small dish, then depositing that dish onto the floor.

The creature yipped happily, a little bounce catching in its step as it pranced over to the dish and began to gorge upon the soup-looking substance within. Lauren had tried to use as much of the same ingredients that she could from her own meal to 'spice up' the Vulpix's, which seemed to delight her, and Lauren just smiled as she watched.

Amidst all of this, Iris had gotten up as well, coming to lean over the other side of the counter, "Smells good. Where'd you learn to cook?"

Lauren perked a brow, "You can't?" This elicited a frown from her friend, causing her to chuckle a little. "My parents own a restaurant back home in White Garden City, so I've been around food my whole life. I just...picked it up by proxy, I guess."

"You're just full of surprises. A regular Jill-of-All-Trades, eh?"

Lauren laughed a little through her nose, "Something like that..." She shrugged, going back to their food and preparing their separate dishes, "My mom used to say that I don't have hobbies. Instead, I 'collect skills'. Her words, not mine, but I guess it's...accurate."

"Huh," Iris said, picking up the chopsticks in front of her. 

Lauren could tell right away that Iris had very little experience using utensils like these just from the way she was trying to hold them. Part of her wanted to watch the poor girl fumble with them for a bit, but her honesty won out and she paused to show her friend the proper method. 

All things aside, ramen was hardly an elegant meal, but it was hearty and filling, and soon, the two leaned back against the couch

"So...what's next for you two?" Iris asked suddenly, breaking the quiet once more.

"What do you mean...?" Lauren queried in response. The Vulpix had since come to sit in the small space between her and Iris, though it favored her side, squishing up against Lauren's thigh. She stroked its soft fur as Iris nodded at the two of them.

"You just seem..." Iris said, pausing a moment to choose her words, "...restless?"

Lauren frowned a little. "I think you're just used to 'trainers' that come into the Pokémon Center. I told you, I'm not really into that stuff."

"Really? Not even a little bit?" Iris coaxed, "I mean, you did win your first ever battle, after all, and against the odds, I might add."

Lauren wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "Neh. That was different. We didn't really have a choice in the matter. And besides..." she shifted a little and looked away, closing her eyes, "...what's the point? I've got nothing to prove."

"Actually, you do." Iris smiled, "You're under sponsorship, remember? Competitive circuits are considered to be the fastest way towards achieving that goal."

Lauren snorted, "Do I look like I'm a ten-year-old or something?"

Iris laughed a little but didn't say anything. Lauren could tell she was waiting for a proper answer.

"Well..." Lauren eventually went on. "There's an early orientation class in a couple of days at the university that I was thinking of attending and then after that..." She pauses, smiling a little to herself, "I was thinking of taking a vacation before the semester starts."

"Yeah? Any particular place in mind?"

Lauren shook her head, "Haven't gotten that far yet. Not like I know much about this city or anywhere else, for that matter."

Iris paused uncharacteristically, prompting Lauren to open her eyes and shift her glance to meet the woman's figure.

"Well, in that case..." Iris eventually said, "How about Hilt?"

Lauren pursed her lips a little, trying to recall where she heard that word. "Isn't that...that little mountain town up north from Century City?"

Iris nodded, "I actually have a timeshare on a place up there, but nobody else uses it this time of year. It's a nice place, really. Lots to see and do, too."

"Sounds peaceful," Lauren said thoughtfully. Her eyes drifted over to beside the front door where her coat hung alongside a large and still relatively new-looking gray backpack. Once upon a time, she'd purchase it in anticipation of going on hikes with the hiking club at her school, but the club didn't have enough members and ended up fizzling out before she ever got the chance to use it.

"I don't know... You sure it'd be ok if I stayed there?"

Iris shrugged, "It's mine for the next few months, and I'm not getting unbusy any time soon, so why not?"

Lauren nodded, pondering. It did sound like a good opportunity. But...

"Well, you don't have to decide right away," Iris said, at that point getting up and stretching, "Just let me know if it sounds like something you'd be interested in."

"Thanks..." Lauren said, leaning up.

"Sure thing!" Iris said, winking, "Anything for a friend--especially ones that feed me! It was great, by the way. But, sadly for you, all good things come to an end, and I must depart."

Lauren smirked at Iris's dramatic flair as she swept her purse up amidst a twirl.

"Thanks for having me over," Iris said as Lauren stood up, "We should make this a habit."

"Uh-huh," Lauren rolled her eyes, "You just want free meals. But...yeah, this was fun. To be honest, I haven't really entertained in a long time."

"All the more reason then!" Iris smiled as the two went to the door, "From what you've told me of how things were before all this, I half expected you to live in a cave like a hermit or something."

"Ha, ha," came Lauren's sardonic reply. "Time to go now." The Vulpix, too, had come along with them and yipped lightly as the two conversed. Iris bent down to pat the little Pokémon on the tuft of hair on its head, then stood again.

"Text you later, then! And don't forget! Let me know about the vacay!"

Lauren just nodded, and when Iris had finally left, her eyes drifted over to the backpack again. She couldn't deny that she was tempted. She'd always felt a little disappointed that the club had collapsed and she'd never gotten the chance to try it out.

Feeling something tugging on her pant leg, Lauren turned and looked down, seeing the Vulpix with her front legs on her knee.

"You too, huh?" Lauren said, bending down and scooping the creature up into her arms. The Vulpix barked a response that Lauren suspected was her form of enthusiasm and chuckled.

Well...that's that, then. Again.


	11. Chapter 11

After bumping along a bumpy road for almost half an hour, which itself had been preceded by an even more agonizingly dull drive, the shuttle came to a loud stop at the corner street in the midst of a small, out of the way little town. All around it, mountains rose into the sky and blocking out any trace of a view from the world beyond. Secluded maybe wasn't the right word for it. Even though it was barely a hundred miles from Century City, this petite pocket of civilization felt as remote as being in the middle of the ocean.

The air was cleaner, too, and it was the first thing that Lauren noticed as she stepped off of the bus, her trusty vulpine companion hopping out behind her.

While the Pokémon went about stretching its legs a little and sniffing around at the immediate area, Lauren's eyes were drawn around her, moving slowly from one building to another and admiring the old style of the architecture. It was picturesque of what she expected to find in a mountain town that had a long-standing tradition of being a tourist hub, but there was one leering aspect that made her smile more: it was completely and utterly fake.

To their credit, some of the people who called Hilt their home were, in fact, the descendants of the mountain-dwellers who founded the town in ages past, and they did make a good show by trying to make everything look as authentic as possible. In truth, however, that beauty was only skin deep, and this place was about as original as the Taco Mike's truck that was peddling street cuisine in the nearby alleyway.

Even still, it was pretty to look at, and she gazed through the large windows of the many shops along the sidewalk as she went.

Eventually, Lauren found her way to the address that Ivy had given her only for her jaw to drop upon seeing the place. She'd expected it to be a condominium or maybe a townhouse, even a three-room wooden cottage to go with the rest of the look and feel of the town.

Instead, she was greeted by a two-story abode with sleek, brown walls and a black roof, that must have been well over two-hundred and fifty square meters. The front protruded slightly forward, giving it the shape of T and making it look more like a lodge than a house, and huge vanity windows cradled many of the second-story room, lit with a dull yellow light.

Lauren pulled out her phone, double-checking. After last time Ivy had given her directions...

...nope. This was...it.

"Geeze..." Lauren said to herself under her breath, "How much does this place even cost...?"

A loud bark drew her back out of her bewildered trance and she looked down, seeing the Vulpix at her feet wiggling its tails and looking up at her with concern. Lauren only smiled and shook her head, taking out the fob Ivy had supplied her with.

A low bleep later, the chestnut door came open and Lauren stepped forth into the gaping entryway, which reminded her in a lot of ways of those descriptions of mansions: it even had the spiral staircase at the far end!

"...maybe I should work at the Pokémon Center..." Lauren's voice echoed into the hallway. As if in response, however, the lights in the room brightened. "Fancy," she remarked with a smile, then looked down as the Vulpix started hopping eagerly up the stairs.

"I agree," Lauren said, putting her bag down on a small lounger nearby, "Let's check it out!"

She'd gotten no more than a quarter of the way up the stairs, however, when the sound of a door shutting somewhere within the house made her immediately freeze. Shit! Was there someone here after all?! Damnit, Ivy! She was supposed to call ahead and make sure the place was free!

"Oh...um...hello..." came a gentle voice from nearby.

Lauren turned, her gaze falling on a small, dainty-looking figure of a young woman wearing a frilly black and white dress. Her face was milky white and a pair of round spectacles sat atop her tiny, pointed nose, serving to magnify a pair of luminous green eyes. The woman fidgeted with the silvery braid that fell over her left shoulder, approaching nervously.

"Oh!" Lauren stammered, "I-I'm so sorry! I'm friends with Ivy and her--"

"Y-yes!" the girl said, interrupting, "That is...Miss Vanclough informed me already. You're...Miss Hart, right?"

Miss? Lauren wrinkled her nose a little at the formality but nodded.

The young woman swallowed meekly, coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs where she clasped her hands together and bowed lightly, "I-it's...my pleasure, M-miss Hart. My name is Cleve."

"Oh...nice to meet you..." Lauren said, now fighting to contain not only her surprise but also her curiosity. The way she was acting, and the way she was dressed...was she...a maid? "Ivy didn't mention you...?"

Cleve looked rather distraught at the revelation that her presence was not expected and quickly set about explaining, "M-my apologies! I thought you knew...I...I'm sorry, I'll leave you be..."

"No!" Lauren exclaimed, then instantly caught herself. That had come out a lot louder and desperate-sounding than she meant it, causing the woman to gasp quietly and turn back, though her eyes were lowered to the floor.

Lauren sighed, scratching at the back of her neck, "S-sorry..." she said, coming down the stairs, "I was just surprised, that's all. Do you...?"

She could tell that Cleve's nerves had settled a little, though her hands were still trembling, "I...work here," she said in just a little above a whisper, "...as a live-in housekeeper and caretaker."

"Wow," Lauren said even more surprised than before, "I didn't expect this at all."

There was a bit of an awkward pause before Cleve's gaze finally rose to meet her's, and the timid woman tried to clear her throat before speaking again, "I...I'll be happy to serve you f...for the duration of your stay here."

Lauren felt her cheeks growing warm. Curse that girl for throwing me into a situation like this! Ivy had an irritatingly childish sense of humor. Lauren could imagine her laughing at the thought of all this transpiring; she was probably waiting at the phone with bated breath right this moment, expecting Lauren to call and yell at her.

"Would y-you...like me to show you around...?" Cleve asked though Lauren was prevented from immediately answering as both of them turned towards a loud bark from the little orange fox who was still waiting quite impatiently on the lower steps.

"Oh my!" the maid said gleefully, bending down and holding out her hands to the Vulpix. "What a cute Pokémon! Is she yours?"

How was everyone able to tell it was a girl?!

Lauren nodded, "Yeah, um...it's...ok to have her here, right?"

"Of course!" the maid said exuberantly as the Pokémon trodded down to meet her, allowing the woman to pet her without even a hint of the leery attitude she usually showed people. "I love Pokémon! Especially cute ones like this!" She giggled a little as the Vulpix brushed against her legs.

Whew. Lauren smiled as she watched Cleve play with her companion, rubbing her fingers together above her so that the Vulpix would stand on its hind legs to nip at her.

"She seems to like you..."

Cleve nodded, rubbing a little under the Pokémon's chin, "I'm so glad!" After a moment, she stood, gaze shifting to Lauren with a renewed sense of confidence, then settling on the bag behind her. "Let's show you to your room, first. May I?"

With a flick of her wrist, a silver-colored ball appeared in Cleve's hand and she held it forth, releasing a shining light from within that streaked to the floor at her feet. Soon after, it faded, revealing a small, bipedal form that had the shape of an hourglass and soft, short fur. Its legs, arms, and most of its head were a deep purple, while its face, feet, hands, and torso were pure white, and a pair of knotted gray horns hooked downwards from its head. It even had a fluffy little tail that jittered back and forth as it curtsied cutely before Lauren.

Is that a Pokémon? Well, it came from a ball, so it must be? Actually...

Lauren looked at the Pokémon, then to Cleve, then back again. It...kind of looked like her; like they were wearing the same outfit!

"This is Melone," Cleve stated with a smile, motioning to the Pokémon, who curtsied again, then turned to meet the gaze of the Vulpix who had come over to sniff it. The fox seemed particularly interested in the other Pokémon's horns, though when she tried to get a bit closer, it quickly spun around, ending up a few feet away and giggling.

This, however, only prompted the Vulpix to chase, at least until Lauren cleared her throat.

"Melone," Cleve said, "Please fetch Miss Hart's things and follow us, ok?"

Lauren watched as the Pokémon dutifully went to grab her backpack, hoisting it up with one hand and saying much for the strength of the otherwise tiny creature. That said, Lauren had grown somewhat accustomed to the idea that these beings were deceptively stronger than they often appeared.

"Shall we?" came Cleve's voice and Lauren turned again to face her.

She nodded, "Sure...but do me a favor. Just call me Lauren."

The maid smiled and motioned for her to follow, leading the four of them up towards the second floor. Lauren, meanwhile, ruminated thoughtfully. Today had already been full of surprises, and she wondered just how many more were around the corner. Maybe she ought to start bracing herself...

* * * * * * * * *

As it turned out, there were several more. The house had four separate bedrooms--two on the first floor and two on the second, as well as a guest house a little ways from the back--and each of these rooms, was easily half the size of her apartment. What's more, each of the two bathrooms covered the same area and had huge vanities with enough shelf space for a supermodel to house their assorted array of make-ups and perfumes.

The other rooms, too, were equally large, including a kitchen with an attached pantry, dining room, billiards lounge, and several rooms just for seating. It even had a small library, which Lauren couldn't help but gawk at, eyes trailing along shelves upon shelves of books from classic literature, to Pokémon lore, to various reference materials.

All in all, this place _was_ a mansion!

When all was said and done, Lauren was more than ready for the lunch offered by Cleve, and she sat quietly on the suspended swing, rocking gently back and forth while her Vulpix ran back and forth between the cleanly cut hedges that lined the walking path in the back yard.

Lauren still couldn't get over how clear the air was here, though admittedly, it felt a little heavy, too. She assumed it was just due to altitude sickness. The elevation was a couple of thousand meters difference from that of Century City, after all, so it made sense that it would be somewhat more difficult to breathe.

Cleve's Pokémon soon appeared, a cloth draped over its arm and hopped up on to the chair opposite the little patio table where Lauren sat, collecting the empty dishes. She was impressed with how dutiful the creature was and watched it. For one thing, it wasn't lacking in finesse. The plates hardly made a sound as the goatish-looking thing stacked them, then hoisted them up with its paw flat beneath before it hopped back down.

In fact, it managed to perform the task so quietly that Lauren's poor Vulpix completely missed its presence, and when the fox did finally appear at the patio steps, the miniature maid had already disappeared back into the house.

"Welcome back," Lauren said as the Vulpix trotted over, a large, pink berry in its mouth. Where on earth it'd managed to dig the thing up, she didn't know, but it seemed to take quite a liking to the fruit, which she supposed was only natural. After all, berries were what some of these creatures ate in the wild. She'd have to make sure to pick some up before they left.

Eventually, Lauren stood. It was starting to get late, and the evening chill was beginning to settle in. Ivy had warned her about how cold it got up in the mountains, and Lauren wasn't all that keen to test her theory despite how lovely the weather had been during the day.

As she was about to leave, however, she stopped as she noticed that her little orange companion had jumped to its feet and now seemed to be staring intently towards the nearby brush.

Lauren followed its gaze, though nothing seemed out of order. It was just a hedge, and beyond it, the sidewalk which ran along the adjacent road.

Still, whatever her companion saw had captivated her wholly, and instead of turning away when Lauren nudged her in the side with her foot, the Vulpix immediately bounded forward, disappearing into the hedge.

"H-hey!" Lauren stammered, spinning on her heel and taking off after the Pokémon. By the time she had cleared the hedge herself, however, the fox was already racing down the sidewalk towards town and no amount of calling after it seemed to dissuade its task.

What the heck had gotten into her?! Lauren picked up the pace. She had half a mind to try and recall her companion back into her ball, but it was...strange. It was rare for her friend to blatantly ignore her commands. In fact, the only time that she could recall her doing so was when it had dashed headlong into that burning building. What if...?

The fox jolted suddenly, dashing into a nearby alleyway. Lauren turned to follow, though she almost tripped over the Vulpix, who had come to stop almost immediately around the corner.

A faint growl emanated from a little further in, however, and Lauren's gaze settled on a tiny shape at the far end. It was about the size and shape of her Vulpix but had sleek, brown fur, a pair of long, pointed ears, and a large fluffy tail that fluttered behind it. The mantle of fur that encircled its collar made the creature look almost lion-like, as did the fierce look in its eyes as it backed up a little further towards the wall behind it.

Yet even as the Pokémon snarled its warning to stay away, Lauren could somehow tell that there was something was amiss. The way it stepped as if its legs were weak, and its breathing was labored. Was it...sick?

"No! Stop!" came a voice from behind her, and Lauren turned to see a little girl come running towards her. "Don't hurt her!"

Lauren was about to reply when suddenly, the growling became a roar and the brown Pokémon came barreling towards them. The creature's speed was alarming, and despite its obvious affliction, it wove back and forth before ramming into the fox's side, rocketing them both out of the alley and into the street.

By the time that the Vulpix had recovered, however, the other Pokémon had already dashed away, heading down the street. The fox, eager to give chase, looked back to Lauren as if asking for permission.

Lauren hesitated. The creature was obviously hurting, which was probably what made it so violent, but...

She looked back as the girl came to a stop before her, "Is that your Pokémon?" she asked as the girl caught her breath, then shook her head.

"No, but..." the girl replied, still panting, "I know her. She's a stray, and she's always really nice to me."

Hrm... Lauren turned to look towards where it had fled, but it was already gone.

"She looked sick..."

"I think so, too!" the girl exclaimed, "A little while ago, I saw her fighting with an Ekans. I think she might've been poisoned..."

"That's not good..." Lauren frowned. But what could she do? She had no idea how to treat Pokémon. Plus, it wasn't exactly that friendly in its current state.

"You gotta help her!" pleaded the child and Lauren turned.

"I thought you said she wasn't yours?"

"So?!" She almost seemed offended, "That doesn't mean I don't care!"

"I..." Lauren started. She felt guilty almost immediately.

"Please!"

Lauren looked down at the little girl. It was clear to her that there was more to this child's relationship with that Pokémon than she admitted, but either way, if someone didn't do something, who knows what could happen to it.

She sighed. 

"...alright," Lauren answered, finally, "Tell me where it could've gone."


End file.
